BRIEFS

Gaffney jayvees

improve to 6-1

Wai Ip scored 19 points to lead the Gaffney junior varsity basketball team to an 81-50 win over Byrnes on Friday.

Gaffney improves to 6-1 with the win.

Limestone wrestlers

win tournament

The No. 15-ranked Limestone wrestling team placed first at the 18- team Ohio Northern Tournament on Saturday.

Dan Scanlan (184 lbs.), Casey Bradley (165 lbs.) and David Bush (197 lbs.) placed first in their respective classes.

Lady Saints

top North Greenville

Lindsay Kyle had 17 points and Ariel Lyons had 11 points and 12 assists to help the Limestone women's basketball team beat North Greenville, 63-56.

Coleman scores

24 in Saints' win

Andre Coleman scored 24 points to help Limestone down visiting Newberry, 77-64, on Saturday. Kenny White added 13 points and Tyron Evans added 10 for the Saints, who improve to 2-3.

Pettitte admits

using HGH

Andy Pettitte used human growth hormone to recover from an elbow injury in 2002, the New York Yankees pitcher admitted two days after he was cited in the Mitchell Report.

Pettitte said he tried HGH on two occasions, stressing he did it to heal faster and not enhance his performance. He emphasized he never used steroids.

''If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize,'' Pettitte said Saturday in a statement released by his agent. ''I accept responsibility for those two days.''

On Thursday, Pettitte was among 85 players named by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's investigation into steroids and performance enhancing drugs. Pettitte had not commented publicly on the allegations.

Pettitte asked the trainer he shared with Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, to help him with HGH while on the disabled list early in the season, the report said. McNamee recalled injecting Pettitte two to four times, Mitchell said.

''In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow,'' Pettitte said in the statement released to The Associated Press by agent Randy Hendricks.

Michigan hires

WVU's Rodriguez

Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez away from his alma mater after failing to bring back one of its own.

A man with ties to both the Wolverines and West Virginia might've helped.

College football's winningest program ended its coaching search Sunday, nearly a month after it started, by announcing Rodriguez would succeed retiring Lloyd Carr.

Rodriguez was scheduled to be introduced as the Wolverines' coach at a news conference Monday morning.

''I am thrilled to have Rich Rodriguez as Michigan's new coach,'' athletic director Bill Martin wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. ''Rich brings an exciting brand of football to Michigan Stadium. We welcome the entire Rodriguez family to Ann Arbor.''

Former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, who coached Rodriguez when he played for the Mountaineers and was on Bo Schembechler's staff at Michigan, endorsed the move.

''I felt it was a great opportunity for Rich,'' Nehlen told the AP in a telephone interview from Morgantown, W.Va. ''There are not many Michigans around.''