BASKETBALL

Red Claws fall short despite 37 points from L.J. Peak

L.J. Peak scored 37 points – including 29 in the second half – but the Maine Red Claws fell short in a 121-115 loss to the South Bay Lakers Monday night in El Segundo, California.

The Red Claws (16-19) trailed 30-23 after the first quarter and 63-50 at halftime despite 17 first-half points from Anthony Bennett.

The Red Claws opened a 106-101 lead but the Lakers answered with an 8-0 run to take control for good.

Bennett finished with 22 points for Maine and Daniel Dixon added 14.

Alex Caruso and Thomas Bryant each had 18 points to lead the way for South Bay (21-12).

WNBA: The New York Liberty are remaining under the control of New York Knicks owner James Dolan and Madison Square Garden for now.

The WNBA team was put up for sale in November. New York will move most of its games out of the Garden this season and into an arena in suburban Westchester County, two people familiar with the situation told the AP.

FOOTBALL

Ferentz settles suit: Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz and his neighbors settled a bitter legal dispute over the private road they share just hours before trial was set to begin Tuesday, attorneys for both sides confirmed.

The deal settles a years-long case in which Ferentz – the former UMaine football coach and now the nation’s longest-tenured college football coach – and his wife faced claims that their extensive efforts to guard their privacy came at the expense of the three other families living along Saddle Club Road outside Iowa City.

Neighbors sued after the couple refused to join their homeowners’ association, ignored a $9,500 assessment for road repairs, and erected privacy fencing, trees and landscaping along the road in a shared easement.

Ferentz – who has long been Iowa’s highest-paid public employee and is expected to earn $5.2 million this year – was expected to testify during the trial, which could have tarnished his nice-guy image.

TENNIS

Open Sud de France: Karen Khachanov of Russia reached the second round of the Open Sud de France at Montpellier, France, by beating seventh-seeded David Ferrer of Spain 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.

Gilles Simon needed 2 hours, 20 minutes to beat German qualifier Yannick Maden 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (3).

The veteran Frenchman next faces top-seeded David Goffin of Belgium. Simon leads Goffin 2-1 in head-to-head meetings.

U.S. OPEN: The U.S. Open’s new, 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium will have dedicated night sessions in 2018.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced it is making changes to the schedule for its Grand Slam tournament.

This is the first time the U.S. Open will have two arenas with double sessions.

SOCCER

Netherlands: Ronald Koeman took charge of the struggling Netherlands team, saying he wants to restore players’ pride in representing the three-time World Cup runner-up.

Koeman vowed to make the team competitive again, even though he does not have a wealth of world-class talent at his disposal.

The Netherlands missed out on this summer’s World Cup in Russia, having also failed to qualify for the 2016 European Championship.

Premier League: The Premier League could emulate other European competitions by introducing a winter break.

It says it has been in talks for several months about finding a gap in the soccer calendar with the Football Association and English Football League, which organizes the three divisions below the top-flight.

January would be the most likely time for a break, given the significance of the fixtures around Christmas.

– Staff and news service reports

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