Sports briefs

Badgers deal Iowa first Big Ten defeat

MADISON (AP) - Roy Boone and Mike Vershaw each scored 18 points and Mike Kelley shut down Luke Recker in No. 19 Wisconsin's 67-54 victory over No. 14 Iowa last night.

The Badgers (2-3 Big Ten, 11-4), victims of three straight last-minute road losses, made 29 of 35 free throws in winning for the ninth consecutive time at the home.

The Hawkeyes (3-1, 14-3) had a double-digit lead early but were outscored 42-35 in a sordid second half that included just three points and two rebounds from Reggie Evans, who finished with 10 points and nine boards, well below his averages of 14.9 points and 12.7 rebounds.

Doctors optimistic for Williams recovery

BOSTON (AP) - Doctors remained optimistic Tuesday even as baseball great Ted Williams was back under sedation in intensive care a day after he underwent a lengthy operation to repair failing heart valves.

Doctors at New York Presbyterian Hospital's Weill Cornell Medical Center were encouraged by Williams' response to doctors commands immediately after surgery, The Boston Globe reported.

The 82-year-old Hall of Famer, baseball's last .400 hitter, could not speak when he awoke from surgery because he was still intubated, but he did respond to doctors' commands, said Dr. Jeffrey Borer, the cardiologist overseeing the Williams case.

Puckett and Winfield new kids in the Hall

NEW YORK (AP) - Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett were elected yesterday to the Hall of Fame on their first try, becoming the seventh pair of teammates picked in the same year.

Winfield, who had 3,110 hits and 465 home runs, and Puckett, whose All-Star career was cut short by glaucoma, played together on the Minnesota Twins in 1993-94.

In fact, Winfield's 3,000th hit drove in Puckett.

"We've already talked, and we congratulated each other," Puckett said from the Metrodome. "It will be very, very special going in with him."

Red Wings' plane loses engine power

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The Detroit Red Wings used a different plane yesterday to fly to Canada hours after their chartered jet lost engine power and made an emergency landing in Sacramento.

None of the 46 passengers were injured Monday night during the unscheduled landing on a flight from San Jose to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The loss of power in an engine on the DC-9 prompted calls of a "major in-flight emergency."

The crew was able to restart the engine mid-air and the plane safely landed at Sacramento International Airport around 9:45 p.m. Monday, airport spokesman Gregg Weissenfluh said.