Gambling sentence for former Avs coach

Former Colorado Avalanche assistant coach Rich Tocchet was ordered Friday to serve two years of probation for his role in an illegal sports gambling ring in New Jersey.

Tocchet, 43, could have received up to five years in a state prison. But there is a presumption against incarceration for first-time offenders who plead guilty to third- or fourth-degree crimes.

Tocchet told a judge in Mount Holly, N.J., "I'm sorry to the court, my family and friends I was involved in this."

Tocchet partnered with a New Jersey state trooper and another man in a sports-betting venture they ran for five years. Janet Jones, wife of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, was among those alleged to have placed bets through the ring.

GORDON WINS POLE Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon won his Nextel Cup series- leading sixth pole this season after having to wait for the rest of the cars entered in the 3M Performance 400 to make their qualifying runs in Brooklyn, Mich.

"We were decent in practice, but we didn't get the best lap," Gordon said. "But, obviously, we communicated well on the adjustments we needed. It just didn't feel like a pole-winning lap."

DRIVER KILLED New Jersey driver John Blewett III died in a crash involving his brother and several cars Thursday night at a track in Hartford, Conn. He was 33.

POSEY TO PLEAD GUILTY Former Miami Heat forward James Posey has agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving in an episode in April in Miami Beach, Fla., prosecutors said.

Posey, drafted by the Nuggets in 1999, agreed to a deal involving lesser charges. He originally was arrested on drunken- driving charges after Miami Beach police pulled him over April 9 for stopping in the middle of a road.

MADSEN INJURED Minnesota Timberwolves forward Mark Madsen underwent surgery on his shoulder, four days after he was hurt on a personal watercraft.

Madsen was using the watercraft Monday and was hurt after he had to jump from the machine and dive into the water. Madsen should return in November.

JACKSON IN ACTION Lauren Jackson capped a likely MVP season with 32 points and 15 rebounds as the Seattle Storm pulled away for a 97-77 victory against the Los Angeles Sparks.

In other WNBA games:

• Diana Taurasi scored 32 points and the Phoenix Mercury clinched the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 101-91 victory against the Sacramento Monarchs.

• Tamika Whitmore made two big baskets late to help the Indiana Fever hang on for a 59- 55 win against the San Antonio Silver Stars.

• Cathrine Kraayeveld scored 18 points to lead the New York Liberty to a 74-66 victory against the Connecticut Sun.

CONVICTION IN KILLING Baton Rouge, La., resident D'Anthony Ford, 20, was convicted of killing Southern California basketball player Ryan Francis and faces an automatic sentence of life without parole.

HOPKINS FINED Nevada boxing regulators fined Bernard Hopkins $200,000 for instigating a weigh-in brawl before his July fight with Winky Wright.

No one was injured in the onstage scuffle, which erupted after Hopkins and Wright went toe-to-toe at the weigh-in and Hopkins shoved his hand in Wright's face.

FEDERER SURVIVES Roger Federer overcame a momentum- changing second set, recovering to beat Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Mason, Ohio.

Federer will face Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals, looking to extend his 10-match winning streak against the Australian. Hewitt coasted through a 6-2, 6-4 win against a heat- sapped Carlos Moya.

Ninth-seeded James Blake advanced to the semifinals by beating Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

GOLOVIN ADVANCES Tatiana Golovin upset third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the Rogers Cup tournament semifinals in Toronto.

The 12th-seeded Golovin will face second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who beat Virginie Razzano 7-5, 6-2.

WILLIAMS WITHDRAWS Serena Williams withdrew from her debut at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Conn., citing a thumb injury that has sidelined her since Wimbledon.

SEALED Jens Voigt won the time trial to practically seal his second straight Tour of Germany victory.

The German cyclist clocked 39 minutes, 42.39 seconds over the 20.5-mile course to win comfortably ahead his closest rivals at Fuerth, Germany.

CHINA LEADS China is using its superiority in diving to take it to the top of the gold medal table at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

The dive wins helped China move past Russia and into first place in the gold medal race.

Australia won gold in women's basketball, beating Russia 85-65 in the final. The U.S. women's team, represented by North Carolina-Charlotte, lost to Taiwan 71-62 to finish sixth.

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