WPPA / T-102 SPORTS-THURSDAY

LOCAL SPORTS TEAMS WILL GET TO SIT OUT ANOTHER NIGHT FROM YESTERDAY'S MONSTER STORM AS SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED FOR A SECOND DAY IN A ROW. CHECK BACK RIGHT HERE FOR UPDATED SPORTS SCHEDULES.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - SIMON GAGNE'S OVERTIME GOAL GAVE THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ANOTHER COME-FROM-BEHIND 3-2 WIN OVER THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS. MICHAEL LEIGHTON MADE 21 SAVES AND JEFF CARTER AND AARON ASHAM ALSO SCORED FOR THE FLYERS, WHO FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE NIGHTS RALLIED FROM A 2-0 DEFICIT TO BEAT THE DEVILS.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - THE PENGUINS BOUNCED BACK FROM A COUPLE OF ROAD LOSSES WITH A 3-1 VICTORY ON HOME ICE OVER THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS LAST NIGHT. CHRIS KUNITZ SCORED TWICE AND EVGENI MALKIN ADDED A GOAL FOR PITTSBURGH. MARC-ANDRE FLEURY TURNED AWAY 37 OF 38 ISLANDERS' SHOTS.

TORONTO (AP) - THE 76ERS' FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK IS OVER. THEY LOST TO THE RAPTORS 104-93 IN TORONTO LAST NIGHT IN THE FINAL GAME BEFORE THE ALL-STAR BREAK FOR BOTH TEAMS. CHRIS BOSH LED THE RAPTORS WITH 23 POINTS AND 10 REBOUNDS. LOUIS WILLIAMS SCORED 26 POINTS - 14 OF THEM IN THE FOURTH QUARTER - FOR PHILADELPHIA.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - CHARLES JENKINS SCORED 32 POINTS AND CHAZ WILLIAMS ADDED 20 TO LEAD HOFSTRA TO A 75-64 VICTORY OVER DREXEL. JAMIE HARRIS SCORED 19 POINTS FOR DREXEL, WHICH FELL TO 9-5 IN THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.

BETHLEHEM, PA. (AP) - NAVY HAS SNAPPED LEHIGH'S SEVEN-GAME WIN STREAK. CHRIS HARRIS SCORED 40 POINTS FOR THE MIDSHIPMEN IN THEIR 85-78 VICTORY OVER THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS. ZAHIR CARRINGTON LED LEHIGH WITH 15 POINTS AND 10 REBOUNDS.

EASTON, PA. (AP) - A BEN JONSON FREE THROW WITH 4 SECONDS LEFT WAS THE DIFFERENCE AS COLGATE EDGED LAFAYETTE 74-73. LAFAYETTE RALLIED FROM A 15-POINT SECOND HALF DEFICIT TO TIE THE GAME ON A PAIR OF JEFF KARI FREE THROWS WITH 17 SECONDS TO PLAY. BUT KARI MISSED A DESPERATION SHOT AT THE BUZZER AFTER JONSON MISSED HIS SECOND FREE THROW.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - JALESSA BUTLER HIT A TIE-BREAKER JUMPER WITH 37 SECONDS REMAINING AS NO. 16 GEORGETOWN BEAT PITTSBURGH 66-63 IN A WOMEN'S BIG EAST GAME LAST NIGHT. GEORGETOWN WON EVEN THOUGH FRESHMAN GUARD SUGAR RODGERS, THE BIG EAST'S LEADING SCORER, WAS HELD TO A SEASON-LOW TWO POINTS.

CINCINNATI (AP) - AMBER HARRIS SCORED 23 POINTS AS SIXTH-RANKED XAVIER WON THEIR 10TH STRAIGHT, BEATING ATLANTIC-10 RIVAL SAINT JOSEPH'S 63-56 IN CINCINNATI. XAVIER OPENED WITH AN 11-0 RUN AND NEVER TRAILED. KATIE RUTAN SET A XAVIER FRESHMAN RECORD BY HITTING HER 61ST 3-POINTER OF THE SEASON.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS HAVE HIRED BRANDON HUNT TO BE THEIR PRO SCOUTING DIRECTOR FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE OF DOUG WHALEY, WHO BECAME THE BUFFALO BILLS' ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER. HUNT SPENT TWO SEASONS AS AN INTERN IN PITTSBURGH'S PLAYER PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT BEFORE BECOMING A PRO SCOUT FOR THE HOUSTON TEXANS IN 2007.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - THE BUFFALO BILLS HIRED DOUG WHALEY ON WEDNESDAY TO BE THE TEAM'S ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER AND DIRECTOR OF PRO PERSONNEL. HE JOINS THE BILLS AFTER SPENDING 11 YEARS WITH THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS, THE LAST 10 AS THE TEAM'S PRO SCOUTING COORDINATOR.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - PITT PLAYS AT UTAH IN A SEPT. 2 SEASON OPENER AND IS SCHEDULED FOR THREE THURSDAY GAMES, PLUS A FRIDAY GAME AGAINST RIVAL WEST VIRGINIA. NEW HAMPSHIRE ON SEPT. 11 WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED AS PITT'S SEASON OPENER, BUT UTAH WAS MOVED UP SO IT CAN BE TELEVISED. OTHER THURSDAY GAMES ARE SEPT. 23 AGAINST MIAMI AND NOV. 11 AT CONNECTICUT.

COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP) - OHIO STATE QUARTERBACK TERRELLE PRYOR HAS UNDERGONE ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY ON HIS RIGHT KNEE. A TEAM SPOKESWOMAN SAYS THE SURGERY WAS ROUTINE AND WILL REQUIRE ONLY MINIMAL REHABILITATION. A HERALDED RECRUIT OUT OF JEANNETTE, PA., PRYOR HAS STARTED FOR OHIO STATE THE PAST TWO SEASONS.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - EVEN WITH SUPERSTAR KOBE BRYANT SIDELINED WITH A BAD ANKLE FOR A THIRD STRAIGHT GAME, THE L.A. LAKERS MANAGED TO END THE UTAH JAZZ'S NINE-GAME WINNING STREAK, 96-81. PAU GASOL HAD 22 POINTS AND 19 REBOUNDS AND LAMAR ODOM ADDED 25 POINTS AND 11 REBOUNDS IN BRYANT'S ABSENCE.

CLEVELAND (AP) - THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS TAKE THE NBA'S LONGEST WIN STREAK INTO TONIGHT'S GAME AGAINST ORLANDO AS THEY TRY TO WIN THEIR 13TH STRAIGHT GAME. THE MAGIC BEAT CHICAGO 107-87 LAST NIGHT AND HAVE WON 10 OF 12.

MONTREAL (AP) - THE MONTREAL CANADIENS' SNAPPED WASHINGTON'S 14-GAME WINNING STREAK AND HANDED THE CAPITALS THEIR FIRST LOSS SINCE JAN. 12 WITH A 6-5 OVERTIME VICTORY LAST NIGHT ON A GOAL BY TOMAS PLEKANEC WITH 7.5 SECONDS LEFT IN OT. THE CAPS RALLIED WITH THREE GOALS IN THE THIRD PERIOD TO FORCE OVERTIME BUT FAILED IN THEIR QUEST TO APPROACH THE ALL-TIME RECORD OF 17 STRAIGHT VICTORIES SET BY PITTSBURGH IN 1993.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - WES JOHNSON AND KRIS JOSEPH COMBINED TO MAKE SIX STRAIGHT FREE THROWS IN THE FINAL 33 SECONDS AND SECOND-RANKED SYRACUSE HELD OFF CONNECTICUT 72-67 IN THE TEAMS' FIRST MEETING SINCE THEY WENT SIX OVERTIMES TO DECIDE A SYRACUSE VICTORY LAST MARCH 12 IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT. THIS WAS THE 11TH STRAIGHT VICTORY FOR SYRACUSE, WHICH IS 24-AND-1 OVERALL AND 12-AND-1 IN THE BIG EAST.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (AP) - THE FIRST WOMEN'S ALPINE SKIING RACE IS SUNDAY AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS AND U.S. SKIING STAR LINDSEY VONN IS SUDDENLY A BIG QUESTION MARK. VONN IS SUFFERING FROM A BADLY BRUISED RIGHT SHIN, ALTHOUGH HER HUSBAND TELLS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HE'D BE "VERY, VERY SURPRISED" IF SHE IS FORCED TO PULL OUT OF THE VANCOUVER OLYMPICS.