Sports in brief

SOFTBALLNHP reaches softball WS

Jenny Hickey had three RBIs and Melissa Ward allowed one run and struck out five in a complete game as the New Hyde Park Allstars defeated Robbinsville, N.J., 4-1, for the East Regional championship of the Little League Softball World Series on Friday night in Bristol, Conn. NHP advances to the LLSBWS, held in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 8-15, and will face Asia Pacific champions (ILLAM Central LL from Makati City, Philippines) on Aug. 9.

Hickey (1-for-3) reached on an error, which allowed two runs to score to make it 3-0 in the fifth. Hickey, who later scored to make it 4-0, had an RBI single in the third to put NHP on the board 1-0.

Ward threw 80 pitches (51 strikes), striking out five and allowing the one run, four hits and a walk.

NBA

Minnesota signs Kirilenko

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed free agent Andrei Kirilenko, bringing the versatile forward back to the NBA after a one-season absence. Kirilenko, 31, is playing with the Russian national team at the Summer Olympics in London. He played 10 years for the Utah Jazz, averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, but spent the 2011-12 season with the CSKA Moscow club . . . Veteran big man Ronny Turiaf has signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Turiaf finished last season with the NBA champion Miami Heat, playing intermittently in the postseason before sitting out all but 3 minutes of the NBA Finals.

GOLF

Lewis leads in France

Stacy Lewis shot 3-under-par 69 to keep the lead after the second round of the Evian Masters at Evian-les-Bains, France, one stroke ahead of South Korea's Ilhee Lee. Cheyenne Woods made her first professional cut in her third LPGA tournament. The niece of Tiger Woods shot 69 to tie for 18th . . . Gary Hallberg made eight birdies in a 7-under 63 during the windy second round of the Senior British Open in Turnberry, Scotland, taking a three-stroke lead on Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman . . . William McGirt shot a 4-under 66 for a share of the second-round lead with Scott Piercy in the Canadian Open. Piercy followed his opening 8-under 62 with a 67. British Open champion Ernie Els missed the cut.

-- APCOLLEGES

Storm gets forward Jones

St. John's officially added forward Christian Jones, a 6-7, 228-pound power forward from Arlington, Texas, and Florida's IMG Academy. Jones is the eighth and final member of the 2012 recruiting class. Jones averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Florida IMG squad in 2011-12.