Sports briefs

College basketball

NEW ARKANSAS COACH?: John Pelphrey will leave South Alabama to take over the Arkansas basketball program, according to reports.

FoxSports.com and CBS Sportsline.com, citing unidentified sources, reported Sunday night that Pelphrey will take the Arkansas job.

The Razorbacks have been without a coach since Stan Heath was fired March 26. They hired Dana Altman last Monday, but Altman changed his mind and returned to Creighton the next day.

South Alabama spokesman Kit Strief said Pelphrey will be in Arkansas on today, but he wouldn't confirm that Pelphrey had taken the Arkansas job.

IMUS ON SHARPTON: Don Imus will appear on the Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show today, five days after Imus made racially charged comments on his own show about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Despite Imus' scheduled appearance, Sharpton said his position was unchanged: He wants Imus fired and intends to write the Federal Communications Commission about the matter.

Soccer

NIL-NIL TIE: The Houston Dynamo opened their defense of the MLS Cup against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday night with a scoreless tie.

Both goaltenders were sharp throughout the season-opening match for both clubs.

Pat Onstad made two saves for the Dynamo. Joe Cannon — acquired from the Colorado Rapids during the offseason — made four stops for the Galaxy. The Dynamo won the MLS Cup last November. The Galaxy missed the playoffs last year.

Curling

CANADA WINS: Glenn Howard led Canada to the curling world championship with an 8-3 win over Germany on Sunday. Canada took a 4-0 lead in the first end over Andy Kapp's Germany team and was never threatened. Germany eliminated Todd Birr and the United States in a semifinal Saturday. It's the third world championship for Howard.

Arena football

BRIGADE WIN: Raymond Philyaw threw six touchdown passes — three to Charles Frederick — in the Kansas City Brigade's 65-31 victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators on Sunday in Las Vegas

Philyaw was 19-of-23 for 292 yards, and Frederick led Kansas City (3-2) in receiving with nine catches for 142 yards. Frederick also ran for a score. Shaun King threw three touchdown passes for the Gladiators (1-5).

Hockey

U.S. WOMEN ADVANCE: At Winnipeg, Manitoba, Krissy Wendell and Molly Engstrom each had a goal and an assist to help the United States advance to the title game in the women's world hockey championships with a 4-0 victory over Finland on Sunday night.

Canada, a 5-4 shootout winner over the United States on Saturday night in the first game of the three-team group winners round robin, will play Finland on tonight, with Canada needing a win or overtime loss to advance.

Natalie Darwitz and Kristin King also scored, and Chanda Gunn made 13 saves for the United States. Wendell leads the team in scoring with four goals and 11 points.