Wednesday’s Sports in Brief

PRO BASKETBALL

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.

The team fired coach Jeff Hornacek after two seasons, a person with knowledge of the decision said.

The Knicks made the decision shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement isn’t planned until Thursday.

The firing was first reported by ESPN.

Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson and the team parted ways last summer. President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry apparently weren’t pleased with the results, though they knew the Knicks were rebuilding with younger players.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - For most point guards, grabbing 16 rebounds to achieve a milestone would seem a daunting task.

For Russell Westbrook, it seemed a foregone conclusion.

The Thunder star entered Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies needing 16 rebounds to become the first player to average a triple-double in multiple seasons. He had four rebounds at the end of the first quarter, then snagged seven in the second in just under nine minutes. He had five rebounds in the first 2:42 of the third quarter to reach his goal, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

He finished with just six points, but he had a career-high 20 rebounds and 19 assists in a 137-123 win. He finished the season with averages of 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State University says the woman accusing three former basketball players of a 2015 sexual assault was treated appropriately by the school’s Counseling Center, and the school says it has found no evidence that she was discouraged from making a Title IX complaint or a complaint to police.

The woman, who is a student at Michigan State, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the school of failing to comply with Title IX. The suit alleges that the woman was sexually assaulted at an off-campus apartment, and it alleges that after she told university Counseling Center staff that basketball players were involved, the staff made it clear to her that if she reported it to police “she faced an uphill battle that would create anxiety and unwanted media attention.”

Michigan State says its records show “that appropriate care and relevant information for a rape victim was provided to the student.”

TENNIS

The U.S. Open will have 25-second serve clocks on all of its courts during main draw matches this year to enforce time limits between points.

The Grand Slam tournament, which begins in New York on Aug. 27, will also have a strict 7-minute period from when players enter a court until action starts after the warmup.

Both the serve clocks and strict timing for the warmup were tested during qualifying matches at Flushing Meadows in 2017.

“We would like to keep the pace of play moving,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said in a telephone interview Wednesday, confirming the main-draw changes that were first reported by The New York Times. “That’s our goal.”

One other element that the USTA tried out during qualifying matches at last year’s tournament that will not make it into the main draw this time around is allowing coaches to communicate with their players during matches.

HOCKEY

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (AP) - The death toll in a bus crash involving a junior hockey team rose to 16 on Wednesday as a woman who worked as trainer for the team died.

The family of Dayna Brons said the 25-year-old died in a Saskatoon hospital from injuries sustained in last week’s accident.

Her family said she will be remembered for her smile and her love of sports. They said she was very proud to be part of the Humboldt Broncos team.

The team was on its way to a playoff game Friday when the bus collided with a semi-trailer at an intersection near Tisdale, Saskatchewan. Thirteen people were injured.

Police say the uninjured truck driver was initially detained but later released and provided with mental health assistance.

BASEBALL

BOSTON (AP) - New York Yankees designated hitter Tyler Austin rushed the mound after being hit by a pitch from Boston Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly, and both players began punching away in a bench-clearing brawl at Fenway Park.

The bitter rivals tangled in the seventh inning, adding another chapter to a long history that has included some memorable brawls.

The benches cleared briefly in the third after Austin’s spikes clipped Brock Holt’s leg on a slide into second base. Holt took issue with the contact and they exchanged words before being separated.

Then with the Yankees leading 10-6, Kelly nearly hit Austin and then caught him on the side with a 2-1 pitch clocked at 98 mph. Austin slammed his bat on the plate, threw it down and took four steps toward the mound while hollering. Kelly waved Austin at him, and things quickly escalated.

The scuffle spilled across the field before it broke up in front of the Boston dugout on the first base side, with Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton pushing the pile. Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames used both hands to shove Austin all the way across the infield toward the New York dugout.