Leroy Thompson scored five touchdowns to lead the Indiana Firebirds to a 51-41 victory over the Rush in the regular-season finale Saturday night at Allstate Arena. The loss ended the Rush’s eight-game home winning streak.
But the Rush (9-5) held on to the third seed in the playoffs and a first-week bye, so it plays its first home playoff game Aug. 5.
Billy Dicken (21-of-35, 267 yards) threw five touchdown passes against Indiana, giving him 74 for the season
Scott Merkin.
Tennis: Monica Seles breezed past Tzipi Obziler 6-4, 6-2 and Lindsay Davenport overpowered Anna Smashnova 6-3, 6-3 in Springfield, Mo., as the United States took both opening Fed Cup matches against Israel.
Davenport, sidelined from serious competition since injuring her knee in November and returning from knee surgery in January, showed the same power that once made her No. 1 in the world. Davenport dominated Smashnova with power serves and groundstrokes that pushed Israel’s No. 1 player far behind the baseline. Seles demonstrated too much experience and savvy for her lesser-ranked opponent.
– French Open champion Albert Costa and Juan Ignacio Chela reached the final of the Energis Open with three-set victories in Amersfoort, Netherlands. The top-seeded Costa eliminated No. 3 Gaston Gaudio 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, while the second-seeded Chela rallied to beat Dutch qualifier John van Lottum 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
NFL: Linebacker Keith Mitchell, selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000, signed with the Houston Texans. The 6-foot-2-inch, 245-pound Mitchell started 61 of 78 games with the New Orleans Saints over the last five seasons.
He had 97 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery last season.
– A man died Saturday after a fall during an open house for fans at the Seattle Seahawks’ new stadium. Seattle police said preliminary reports indicated the fall was accidental. However, witnesses reported the man intentionally climbed over a chest-high barrier on a stadium ramp and jumped to his death.
College basketball: A federal judge in Columbus, Ohio, said it’s too soon to determine whether the NCAA’s rules restricting participation in certain non-conference tournaments violate federal antitrust laws.
The judge denied a request by a group of tournament promoters and organizers for a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the NCAA restriction limiting Division I schools to two such tournaments in four years.
However, his ruling, issued Friday, said the issue would be revisited later.
