Soccer
WISL PLAYOFFS: At Houston, the St. Louis Steamers advanced to the World Indoor Soccer League semifinals with a 5-3 victory at Houston Tuesday. St. Louis travels to regular season champion Monterrey on Friday for one of the semifinals, while the Utah Freezz travel to Dallas for the other.
WORLD CUP UPDATE: Iran became the first team to advance to next year's 10-nation finals of Asian World Cup, beating Tajikistan 2-0.
Baseball
BREWERS DEAL: Milwaukee closer Curtis Leskanic agreed to a new $7.2 million, three-year contract with the Brewers.
Tennis
MASTERS CUP: Pete Sampras, playing his first match in more than two months, lost 7-5, 6-0 to Lleyton Hewitt in the opening round of the Masters Cup. Andre Agassi, coming off a three-week break because of a hip injury, beat Gustavo Kuerten 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Marat Safin, seeking to become the youngest player ever to finish the year as No. 1, won his round-robin match, rallying past Alex Corretja 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-3.
Golf
STEWART INVESTIGATION: The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that a loss of cabin pressure and failure to obtain oxygen incapacitated the crew of golfer Payne Stewart's plane, leading to the crash last year that killed all six aboard the chartered Learjet. The NTSB was unable to say why the plane lost pressure.
SENIOR QUALIFYING TOURNEY: Bill Holstead shot a 10-under-par 62 to take a five-stroke lead after the first round of the Senior PGA Tour national qualifying tournament. Kurt Cox and Fred Gibson opened with 67s, and John Schroeder, Bobby Walzel, Jerry Tucker, Pat Fitzsimons, Tom McGinnis, Tom Knapp and Jesse Patino shot 68s.
Basketball
SUING THE NCAA: A 6-foot-11-inch basketball recruit from Nigeria has sued the NCAA for barring him from playing for Louisville. Muhammed Lasege is seeking a temporary injunction that would allow him to play. A hearing in Jefferson Circuit Court is scheduled for Dec. 7.
The NCAA ruled Lasege violated amateurism rules by signing a $9,000 contract with a Russian junior team in April 1998. He played in 13 games and never received any money, but the NCAA decided his contract constituted "an intent to professionalize."
Lasege admitted taking $6,700 worth of benefits, including clothing, food and travel, while in Russia. He offered to pay back that amount during his NCAA appeal.
Football
DAVIS STAYING IN MIAMI: Butch Davis says he is staying at Miami, ruling out the Alabama job as well as any other coaching position in college football.