IN BRIEF

UNLV

Women’s golf team nets NCAA regional berth

The UNLV women’s golf team earned a berth in the NCAA West Regional, set for May 10-12 at Entrada at Snow Canyon Golf Club in St. George, Utah.

The Rebels were seeded 11th in the West, one of three 21-team regionals. Arizona State is the top seed in the West.

In each regional, the top eight teams and top two individuals not on those teams advance to the NCAA Championships, May 22-25 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

UNLV advanced to regional play for the fifth time in its six-year history.

Rebels coach Missy Ringler also announced the signing of two players to letters of intent Monday: Alejandra Guacaneme and Therese Koelbaek.

Guacaneme is the top-ranked junior player in Colombia and has won 11 junior titles.

Koelbaek has played in several international team events for Denmark.

DOPING AND SPORTS

Independent experts to verify Landis tests

France’s anti-doping agency has asked outside experts to verify that its lab correctly handled tests that pointed to suspected cheating by Tour de France champion Floyd Landis, the agency’s chief said.

Landis’ camp launched new accusations of wrongdoing against the French lab on Sunday, saying it had mishandled and erased computer files involving doping tests during a crucial stage in Landis’ 2006 Tour win.

Pierre Bordry, director of the French Anti-Doping Agency, did not respond to the accusations. He said he was awaiting a regular review, conducted every six months by an independent French agency, on the lab’s software and analysis procedures.

Also: Italian cycling star Ivan Basso quit the Discovery Channel team after Italian authorities reopened an investigation into his role in a Spanish doping scandal.

Less than two weeks before he was slated to defend his Giro d’Italia title, Basso asked to be released immediately from his contract during a meeting with Discovery officials, the team said in a statement.

A former doctor will plead guilty to illegally prescribing anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to patients she never met or examined, her lawyer said.

Ana Maria Santi reached an agreement with prosecutors and plans to plead guilty June 1 to 29 counts of health care fraud, conspiracy and illegal drug distribution in federal court in Providence, R.I., said her attorney, Edward C. Roy.

MISCELLANEOUS

Woods to tee it up with Jordan in pro-am

Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, the two most influential endorsers in the world of sports, will play golf together for the first time in official competition at this week’s Wachovia Championship Pro-Am golf tournament.

Woods, the world’s top-ranked golfer, and Jordan, part-owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, will tee off Wednesday as part of a threesome at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., the event’s organizers said in a news release.

Also: Nicklas Backstrom scored 29 seconds after the opening faceoff, and Sweden went on to an 8-2 win over Latvia in Moscow to claim a place in the qualifying round of the hockey world championships.

Shane Doan converted on a power play early in the third period to complete Canada’s rally and help it survive a second scare in as many games, beating Norway 4-2 to advance.