AP Friday Sports Roundup

NBA FINALS

Warriors take opener in OT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors turned up the defense in overtime and won the opener of the NBA Finals with a 108-100 victory over Cleveland despite 44 points from Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.

The Warriors outscored the Cavs 10-2 in overtime. They scored the first 10 points of the extra session before James scored a basket with eight seconds left. The Cavs missed their first eight shots in overtime.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points and eight assists. His backcourt mate Klay Thompson added 21 points. In the finals for the first time in 40 years, the Warriors gave their long-suffering fans quite a treat. They rallied from an early 14-point deficit.

Kyrie Irving had 23 points for the Cavs but limped off the court with about 2 minutes left in OT. He appeared to aggravate a left leg injury.

Game 2 is Sunday in Oakland.

NBA-BUCKS ARENA

Arena deal for Bucks

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says taxpayers would pick up half the cost of a $500 million arena for the Milwaukee Bucks under a financial deal that would rely on current and former team owners for the rest.

Walker has argued for months that it will cost the state more in lost income-tax revenue if the NBA team leaves Milwaukee than it will to pay for a new downtown arena.

MLB-SCHEDULE

Wacha improves to 8-1...Tigers drop another one

UNDATED (AP) — Michael Wacha became an eight-game winner with seven effective innings, Jason Heyward and Kolten Wong drove in two runs each, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 in the opener of a four-game series between the National League's top two teams.

The Cardinals, who knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons, increased their Central Division lead to 6 1-2 games over the idle Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers' West Division advantage shrunk to 1 1-2 games over the idle San Francisco Giants.

Wacha is 8-1. He allowed one run and struck out five in his seven innings.

In other major league play:

__ Josh Phegley and Billy Butler each drove in two runs to help Oakland beat Detroit 7-5 and complete a three-game sweep of the Tigers. Detroit has lost seven in a row for the first time since May 2011. Jesse Hahn allowed one run in seven innings to help the Athletics win for the sixth time in seven games. Tyler Collins hit a three-run homer in the ninth for Detroit to make the outcome close.

— Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval mishandled a throw on a bunt in the ninth inning, and the Minnesota Twins beat Boston 8-4 for a four-game split. Torii Hunter hit his 200th home run in a Twins uniform -- and 339th of his career -- and added two singles.

— Adam Jones hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning to give Baltimore a 3-2 win over Houston. That was one of three hits for Jones that helped the Orioles avoid a sweep. Houston starter Dallas Keuchel matched his shortest start this season at six innings after consecutive complete games. He allowed earned two runs and six hits with seven strikeouts but did not figure in the decision. Keuchel's ERA climbed to 1.85.

__ Ex-Mariner Erasmo Ramirez beat his former team, combining with four relievers to help the Tampa Bay Rays defeat Seattle 2-1. Ramirez improved to 4-2.

__ Matt Harvey stopped his three-game losing streak, John Mayberry Jr. had a two-run homer among his career-high four hits, and the New York Mets picked up a rare road win by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2, Harvey is 6-3. He struck out nine in seven strong innings for his first win in six starts.

— Anthony DeSclafani threw seven effective innings, Brandon Phillips had three hits and two RBIs and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 to avoid a three-game sweep.

— Brandon Moss hit a two-run homer and the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 in a game called in the eighth inning because of rain.

— Texas edged the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in 11 innings. Shin-soo Choo's single drove in the winning run.

— The Chicago Cubs nipped Washington 2-1, handing the Nationals their sixth loss in seven games. The Cubs scored both runs in the first inning. Jake Arrieta (ehr-ee-ET'-uh) and five relievers held the Nationals to one run and eight hits.

MLB-NEWS

Rangers place Hamilton on DL

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton was put on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, only seven games into his return to the majors.

The Rangers say Hamilton will be sidelined about four weeks because of a strained left hamstring.

FRENCH OPEN

Day 12

PARIS (AP) — The women's final at the French Open in Paris is set.

Top-seed Serena Williams fought through the flu to beat Timea Bacsinszky 4-6, 6-3, 6-love. The winner of 19 Grand Slam titles looked under the weather during the match and in jeopardy of losing it after dropping the opening set. The two-time French Open champ has been dealing with the flu since earlier in the tournament.

Williams will take on Lucie Safarova for the title. The Czech moved into her first Grand Slam final with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Ana Ivanovic.

Williams has won all eight matches she's had with Safarova.

NHL-COMPETITION COMMITTEE

Goal challenges coming

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL is a step closer to a coaches' challenge system.

The joint NHL/NHL Players' Association competition committee has recommended coaches' challenges for goals involving goalie interference and offside plays.

If approved by the NHLPA executive committee and board of governors, goalie interference challenges would be handled by referees at ice level and offside plays by the situation room in Toronto.

The competition committee reached no consensus on overtime changes for next season and will continue discussions.

NHL-CAPITALS

Surgery for Fehr

WASHINGTON (AP) — Center Eric Fehr (fair) of the Capitals has had elbow surgery. The team says that if rehab goes well he should be ready for the start of the next season. Fehr had 19 goals and 14 assists in 75 games this past season. He missed 10 of the team's 14 playoff games because of injury.

The 29-year-old Fehr, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is the second Washington player to have surgery recently. Center Nicklas Backstrom had hip surgery on May 27 and is expected to be ready for next season.

PGA-MEMORIAL

Two tied for the top

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Bo Van Pelt and Hideki Matsuyama posted 8-under 64s to share the lead late after the first round of the Memorial tournament. Van Pelt got off to a fast start with birdies on six holes on the front side and finished with 10 for the round. Matsuyama's round was bogey-free.

Jason Dufner finished with a 66 and is tied for third with Russell Knox.

Masters champ Jordan Speith shot a 4-under-68 while Tiger Woods had a 73. Woods has won this event five times.

LPGA-LPGA CLASSIC

Woods' niece tied for lead

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario (AP) — Rookie Cheyenne Woods tied a course record with a 9-under-63 and is tied with P.K. Kongkraphan and Cristie Kerr after the opening round of the LPGA Classic in Ontario. Woods birdied eight holes, including five of the last nine, and had an eagle in the round. She's the niece of Tiger Woods.

Sandra Gal and Laeticia Beck are tied for second, one shot back.

COLLEGE ATHLETICS

North Carolina charged with NCAA violations

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has charged North Carolina with five violations connected to the school's long-running academic fraud scandal, including a lack of institutional control for poor oversight of an academic department popular with athletes.

The charges include providing improper benefits in the form of counselors making "special arrangements" with staffers in the formerly named African and Afro-American Studies department to offer courses or obtain assignments for athletes, as well as a counselor working with the women's basketball program providing improper help on research papers.

All five charges are considered Level I violations, described by the NCAA as a "severe breach of conduct."

STEROIDS

Rodriguez cousin gets jail time

MIAMI (AP) — A cousin of New York's Alex Rodriguez, who was the star's longtime personal assistant, has been sentenced to seven months in prison after pleading guilty on federal drug charges stemming from baseball's South Florida steroids scandal. Yuri Sucart is the last of eight people to plead guilty for roles in providing steroids to Rodriguez and other athletes through the Biogenesis of America clinic owned by Anthony Bosch.

The investigation triggered suspensions by Major League Baseball of 14 players, including Rodriguez for all of last season.

NFL-BRONCOS

Owner's son arrested on domestic violence charges

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Bowlen Jr., the 29-year-old son of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and an administrative employee of the team, has been placed on indefinite leave following his arrest on domestic violence charges.

Police say the younger Bowlen was arrested Wednesday night in the Denver suburb of Glendale on suspicion of third-degree assault and harassment after allegedly pushing his girlfriend against a bathroom wall.

After being held overnight at the Arapahoe County Jail, which is next to the Broncos' suburban headquarters, Bowlen was released today on $1,000 bond. The judge said he had to stay sober, couldn't handle firearms and was allowed contact with the alleged victim but that they couldn't live together. His next court hearing is scheduled for July 6.

OBIT-BEVO FRANCIS

College hoops great dies

RIO GRANDE, Ohio (AP) — Clarence "Bevo" Francis, who had 113 points for Rio Grande College in a 1954 game and was one of college basketball's great scorers, has died. He was 82.

Rio Grande said he died after a long illness.

Francis' landmark game came against Michigan's Hillsdale College on Feb. 2, 1954 and put his small Ohio college on the map. The school in southeastern Ohio is now called University of Rio Grande and had less than 100 students at the time.