BASKETBALL

Coach was a winner, but no titles, so he’s fired by WNBA’s Connecticut Sun

Mike Thibault, who led the Connecticut Sun to eight playoff appearances but no WNBA championships in his 10 seasons, was fired by the team Tuesday.

Thibault had been the Sun’s only coach, hired when the team relocated from Orlando before the 2003 season.

He led the Sun to the WNBA finals in 2004 and 2005, and five Eastern Conference finals. The Sun finished the 2012 season as the top seed in the East with a 25-9 record. Led by league MVP Tina Charles, the team swept New York in the first round of the playoffs before losing to eventual WBNA champion Indiana in three games in the conference finals.

Sun assistants Scott Hawk and Bernadette Mattox also were let go.

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Thibault had a 206-134 regular-season record with the Sun and was named the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008. He needs just six more victories to pass former Houston Comets coach Van Chancellor for the most wins in WNBA history.

SOCCER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Chelsea could become the first defending league winner not to reach the knockout rounds, losing 3-0 at Juventus as Fabio Quagliarella, Arturo Vidal and Sebastian Giovinco scored.

Winless in four straight Premier League games, Chelsea (2-2-1) dropped into third place in Group E and can advance only if it beats Nordsjaelland (0-4-1) on Dec. 5 and Shaktar Donetsk (3-1-1) wins at home against Juventus (2-0-3).

AUTO RACING

NASCAR: Danica Patrick said she and her husband are divorcing after seven years of marriage.

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Patrick announced the split with Paul Hospenthal on her Facebook page. She said the two have amicably decided to end their marriage.

Hospenthal is a physical therapist who met Patrick while treating her for a nonracing injury. The two were married in 2005, and he is 17 years older than the 30-year-old NASCAR driver.

GOLF

PGA: Martin Kaymer of Germany is the latest European star to join the PGA Tour.

Kaymer has been eligible to become a U.S. tour member since he won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010.

According to the PGA Tour, five international players will be members next year. In addition to Kaymer, the others are Peter Hanson of Sweden, Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, Ryo Ishikawa of Japan and David Lynn of England, the runner-up at this year’s PGA Championship.


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