Leslie’s 24 Points Lift U.S. Over Australia

Spark center Lisa Leslie had 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the defending champion United States past Australia, 71-56, Tuesday in the semifinals of the Women’s World Basketball Championship at Nanjing, China.

Shannon Johnson scored 15 of her 17 points in the second quarter, and Sheryl Swoopes had 13 points and nine rebounds for the U.S., which will play Russia in the title game today. Russia defeated South Korea, 70-53, in the other semifinal.

The U.S. limited Lauren Jackson of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm to nine points. The Australians were led by Suzy Batkovic’s 13 points.

Leslie, playing in her third championship tournament, became the U.S. team’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder in the championship. Her 376 points surpassed the previous mark of 371, set by Teresa Edwards from 1986-94, and her 181 rebounds surpassed Katrina McClain’s record of 180 from 1986-94.

“We played pretty good defensively, and really shut Lauren Jackson down, who is really the key player to their team,” Leslie said. “I thought Penny Taylor played well and really tried to take it to us, but overall our defense prevailed.”

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The Detroit Pistons will trade forward Rodney White to the Denver Nuggets within the next few days for 6-foot-11 Chinese center Mengke Bateer and forward Don Reid, a source told Associated Press.

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Kentucky center Jules Camara broke a hand during individual workouts Monday and will not be able to play for four to six weeks.

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Jurisprudence

Tony Stewart won’t face criminal assault charges stemming from an accusation by an unidentified woman that the NASCAR driver shoved her at an August race in Bristol, Tenn.

The Sullivan County grand jury declined to indict Stewart after hearing a report on the sheriff’s investigation following the Sharpie 500 Winston Cup race Aug. 24, District Attorney Greeley Wells said.

“Just as I’ve contended all along, I did not assault anyone and I’m relieved to know a grand jury has come to the same conclusion,” Stewart said in a statement.

Stewart, 31, is on probation with NASCAR and The Home Depot, the sponsor of his car, for punching a photographer who tried to take his picture following the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on Aug. 4. Stewart was fined $10,000 by NASCAR and $50,000 by Home Depot.

Stewart finished last season on probation after slapping a reporter’s tape recorder away and then kicking it under a truck.

The father of Sacramento King star Chris Webber was arraigned in Detroit on charges of lying to a grand jury about the player’s dealings with a University of Michigan booster.

A plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of Mayce Webber Jr. and a $10,000 bond was ordered for him. Mayce Webber, Chris Webber and Charlene Johnson, Chris’ aunt, were indicted Sept. 9. All face the same charges--lying to a grand jury and obstructing justice. The maximum penalty on each charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A $40-million lawsuit Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis filed against an Italian sportswear maker whose shoes allegedly injured her feet has been dismissed.

State Supreme Court Justice Sherry Klein Heitler said in a ruling made public Tuesday that New York is the wrong place to try the case since similar litigation between Hingis and the company, Sergio Tacchini, is pending in Milan, Italy.

During the U.S. Open in New York in September 1998, Hingis said she sustained a severe foot injury because Tacchini had outfitted her with “defective” shoes, “unsuitable for competition.” She said the injury hurt her career.

Olympic swimming champion Jenny Thompson has filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire, alleging she is owed $280,000 for an endorsement deal with the marketing firm Envion International.

Entrepreneur Matt Freese and real estate developer Ralph Cutillo, who died last week at age 78, are the defendants. According to the suit, Cutillo bought Envion from Freese last year.

The suit, filed this month in Strafford County Superior Court, questions whether the business actually changed hands and acknowledges that Thompson does not know which man owes her the money.

The state has no record of any such business under Freese’s name or Cutillo’s, according to the Concord Monitor.

Freese’s telephone number is unlisted and he could not be reached. Cutillo’s lawyer, Patrick Wood, said Cutillo never bought Freese’s marketing firm. He also dismissed Thompson’s claim that her image was featured on a Web site owned by Cutillo.

Thompson’s lawyer, Paul Cox, said Cutillo did use the image.

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Tennis

Second-seeded Fernando Gonzalez defeated Zeljko Krajan, 6-3, 6-2, and third-seeded Jose Acaruso beat Andreas Vinciguerra, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the Sicilian International at Palermo.

Janette Husarova defeated eighth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, and Meghann Shaughnessy beat Elena Likhovtseva, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in the first round of the Sparkassen Cup at Leipzig, Germany.

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Hockey

Chicago Blackhawk forward Eric Daze is scheduled to undergo back surgery for a herniated disk today and will be out at least six weeks.

Last season, Daze set career highs with a team-best 38 goals and 70 points, and was the most valuable player of the NHL All-Star game when he scored two goals and had an assist.

Former King Paul Coffey, the second-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history, was hired by the Phoenix Coyotes as a special teams consultant.