BASKETBALL

WNBA admits referees wrong on shot-clock call

The WNBA said its officials missed a shot-clock violation late in Game 5 of the finals on Thursday night.

The league released a statement Friday saying Nneka Ogwumike’s basket for Los Angeles with 1:14 remaining shouldn’t have counted because it came after the shot clock expired. The statement also says officials improperly failed to review the play.

Ogwumike later made the winning shot at the buzzer, giving the Sparks a 77-76 victory for their first championship since 2002.

After the game, Minnesota Coach Cheryl Reeve said the league needed to do more than just apologize and “send a memo.”

It’s the second time in a week officials missed a call. The WNBA acknowledged the referees missed an 8-second backcourt violation late in Game 4, which Minnesota won.

TENNIS

KREMLIN CUP: Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova beat fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in the semifinals at Moscow to remain on course to claim the eighth and last spot in the WTA Finals.

Kuznetsova will qualify for the finals in Singapore on Sunday only if she wins the tournament. Otherwise, the place will go to Britain’s Johanna Konta.

AUtO RACING

FORMULA ONE: Defending champion Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest lap at Austin, Texas, as he seeks to make a late charge at Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the championship chase.

Hamilton’s fastest lap was in 1 minute, 37.428 seconds. Rosberg was second, 0.315 seconds behind.

Hamilton trails Rosberg by 33 points in the standings heading into the final four races. That almost puts Hamilton in a must-win situation if he wants to have a realistic chance of retaining his title.

COLLEGES

FOOTBALL: Washington State Coach Mike Leach was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the Pac-12 Conference for comments about the Arizona State football program.

During a press conference Monday, Leach again accused the Sun Devils of stealing signs.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: North Carolina junior swingman Theo Pinson is out indefinitely because of a broken bone in his right foot.

Pinson is a top defender, good passer and versatile wing for the Tar Heels, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles before losing in the NCAA championship game.

• Florida freshman Dontay Bassett will miss the season because of a stress fracture in his right foot.

Bassett is a 6-foot-9 forward from Oakland, California.

OLYMPICS

EUROPEAN GAMES: The capital of Belarus was chosen to host the 2019 European Games, despite criticism of the country’s human rights record and concerns over the cost of the event.

The European Olympic Committees approved Minsk – the only candidate – by an overwhelming majority to host the second edition of the multi-sport games. The Netherlands withdrew as host last year, citing financial worries.

PREP SCHOOLS

GIRLS’ SOCCER: Christine Gardella and Kate Marshall scored to give Berwick Academy (8-4-1) a 2-0 win over the Waring School at Beverly, Massachusetts. Annie Vatcher assisted on both goals.