Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASKETBALL Williams’ tumor benign

North Carolina said Coach Roy Williams’ surgically removed kidney tumor was not cancerous, though he will have a biopsy to ensure a second kidney tumor is also benign. In a news release Tuesday afternoon, the school said tests have determined the tumor removed last week from Williams’ right kidney was an oncocytoma, which is a benign growth often indistinguishable from kidney cancer on X-rays that doesn’t spread like a cancerous tumor would. Williams also has a tumor on his left kidney, but according to the school, doctors say there is “a good chance” that growth is the same as the one removed Sept. 19. Doctors plan to biopsy that tumor next week and won’t have to perform a second surgery if the tumor is also an oncocytoma. Dr.Eric Wallen, a UNC professor of urology who led the surgical team during 3 1/2-hour procedure, said last week that Williams should be back in plenty of time for the start of preseason practice on Oct. 13.

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free-agent guard Marquis Daniels, a nine-year veteran who spent the past three years in a reserve role with the Boston Celtics. The 31-year-old has averaged 8.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 489 games. The Bucks did not release contract terms Tuesday.

BOXING Case being settled

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are settling a federal defamation case in Las Vegas, clearing a key hurdle to a long-awaited bout between two top fighters who’ve traded verbal jabs for years but have never met in the ring. Terms of the pretrial agreement cited in documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Courtin Las Vegas are confidential, said Malcolm LaVergne, a lawyer representing Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s father in the case. LaVergne said documents filed under seal ask U.S. District Judge Larry R. Hicks to dismiss the lawsuit, and that others involved in the case were preparing a public statement. The direction of the case took a turn against FloydMayweather Jr. last week, when the judge issued a ruling ordering him to pay about $114,000 in legal fees and costs for avoiding questioning under oath from Pacquiao’s lawyers. Hicks faulted Mayweather for failure to comply with a court order. LaVergne said Tuesday he had no information about whether the court settlement means Mayweather and Pacquiao will meet in the ring.

HOCKEY

NHL, union to resume talks

The NHL and its players’ union are to resume bargaining Friday for the first time since the lockout began, although the talks will concentrate on secondary economic issues. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHL Players’ Association special counsel Steve Fehr met Tuesday in Toronto and set up the session, which will be in New York. These will be the first formal negotiations since Sept. 12, when the players and owners exchanged proposals. The lockout started Sept. 16, when training camps were to open. This is the third lockout since Gary Bettman became commissioner in 1993. Thelast lockout wiped out the 2004-2005 season and ended when players accepted a salary cap.

GOLF

U.S. wins Junior Ryder Cup

Casie Cathrea, Karen Chung and Esther Lee led the United States to its third consecutive Junior RyderCup victory, winning singles matches Monday to finish undefeated in the 14 1/2-9 1/2 victory over Europe in Olympia Fields, Ill. The 16-year-old Cathrea, from Livermore, Calif., beat Denmark’s Emily Pedersen 2-up at Olympia Fields. The 17-year-old Chung, from Livingston, N.J., topped Germany’s Quirine Eijkenboom 4 and 2, and the 17-year-old Lee, from Los Alamitos, Calif., edged England’s Bronte Law 1-up. The three Americans were each 2-0 Monday in foursomes and mixed fourballs. Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., and Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., also won in singles, with Lee securing the deciding point with a 6-and-5 victory over Sweden’s Linnea Strom. Overall, the six U.S. girls were 5-1 in singles and 3-0 in foursomes, while the U.S. boys earned 2 1/2 points in six singles matches after scoring only a half-point in three foursomes. In the mixed fourballs, the Americans were 3-2. The United States leads the series 4-3-1.

FOOTBALL Alabama tight end sued

A former Alabama student has filed a lawsuit alleging that Crimson Tide football player Kelly Johnson assaulted him at a fraternity pledge event. The civil suit, filed Friday in federal court by Logan Herring, is seeking compensatory damages from Sigma Chi fraternity and Johnson stemming from an incident in September 2010. The suit alleges the tight end/H-back came up behindHerring and punched and kicked him in the head until he was unconscious after Herring became sick at a pledge event at Johnson’s home. Herring’s attorney, Rick DiGorgio of Birmingham, Ala., said he’s not aware of a police report being filed after the incident. The suit said Herring sustained “a concussion, brain injury, memory loss, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.” It says he was forced to transfer to another school. Alabama football spokesman Jeff Purinton said the school can’t comment because of federal privacy laws.

TENNIS Azarenka advances

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka eased into the third round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Austria’s Tamira Paszek on Tuesday. Twotime champion Maria Sharapova had a tougher time subduing British qualifier Heather Watson 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4, while 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the fourth seed, lost to Petra Martic of Croatia 6-4, 6-4. Other winners includedmajor champions Li Na and Sam Stosur. Azarenka played her first match since losing in the U.S. Open final to Serena Williams. Next up will be Roberta Vinci of Italy, who beat qualifier Pauline Parmentier of France 6-3, 6-1. Sharapova’s next opponent, Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, moved on when compatriot Klara Zakopalova was unable to play because of a left wrist injury.

Former finalists Viktor Troicki of Serbia and Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen each won first-round matches Tuesday at the Thailand Open in Bangkok. Troicki, the runner-up in 2009, beat Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-3, while Nieminen, who was a finalist two years ago, advanced when Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita retired with an ankle injury after dropping the first set 6-1. Fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat TatsumaIto of Japan 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Albert Ramos of Spain hit 14 aces on his way to beating Austrian qualifier Julian Knowle 6-1, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. Knowle, a doubles specialist, played his first singles match on tour since 2005.

FOOTBALL Western Kentucky safety suspended for ASU game

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Sun Belt Conference has upheld its one-game suspension of Western Kentucky safety Jonathan Dowling following his ejection from Saturday’s victory against Southern Mississippi.

The conference Tuesday rejected Western Kentucky’s appeal of Dowling’s suspension announced Monday.

Dowling, whose four interceptions are tied with UCLA’s Sheldon Price and Mississippi State’s Darius Slay for the NCAA lead, will miss Western Kentucky’sSun Belt opener Saturday against defending conference champion Arkansas State.

Hilltoppers Coach Willie Taggart said Monday that senior Kareem Peterson, a former starter, will replace Dowling.

The sophomore transfer from Florida was ejected after a helmet-to-helmet hit on receiver Tyre Bracken following his third-quarter touchdown reception.

Western Kentucky won 42-17 and is 3-1 for the first time since 2007.