Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert reacts during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals against the Miami Heat in Indianapolis, Saturday, June 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
 

MIAMI (AP) — Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert was fined $75,000 on Sunday by the NBA for using a gay slur and cursing during his news conference after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

PITTSBURGH - On a hot and humid night in Station Square, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds defeated the Rochester Rhinos 3-0 Saturday night at Highmark Stadium. With the win, the Riverhounds earned their first back-to-back victories of the season and extended their unbeaten streak to six games in USL PRO play. Riverhounds strikers Jose Angulo and Jhonny Arteaga, along with second half substitute Ryan Kinne tallied a goal each to lift the home side past their long-time region-rival, the Rhinos.

The game opened up with a slow pace, but both sides would receive an early scoring opportunity in the first ten minutes. The Riverhounds nearly scored on a short corner in the 7th minute when Matt Dallman picked out a slashing Alfonso Motagalvan. Shaking off his marker at the edge of the six yard box, Motagalvan headed Dallman’s service cleanly, but his header flew inches over the crossbar. On the ensuing restart, the Rhinos Thomas McManus played a diagonal ball in behind the Riverhounds defense for Michael Reidy. Taking a touch towards goal, Reidy’s touch brought Riverhounds goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap off his line. Closing Reidy at the edge of the penalty area, Gilstrap turned Reidy’s shot off frame and out for a corner.

The two sides battled for possession in the midfield throughout the remainder of the first half. The Riverhounds would take advantage of a quality combination from Andrew Marshall and Motagalvan at midfield to create a numbers-up situation at the edge of the Rhinos penalty area in the 42nd minute. Motagalvan freed the ball to Dallman right of the Rhinos goal. Trying a one-two combination with Arteaga, Dallman’s touch deflected off his marker and back on to his right foot sixteen yards from goal. Dallman rifled a shot past Rhinos net-minder Kriston Nicht, but his attempt rattled the crossbar and landed on the foot of Angulo. Taking a touch to his dominant left foot, Angulo slid a shot past Nicht for the game’s first goal. With the goal, Angulo raised his team-leading conversions to five and Dallman raised his league-leading assist total to seven.

The Rhinos would come out of the break with high pressure and midfielder Tyler Roselund would pick the pocket of Motagalvan thirty-five yards from goal. Driving to the edge of the penalty box, Roselund ripped a shot on target, but Gilstrap was in good position to smother the shot.

The Riverhounds would add to their lead in the 63rd minute when Marshall found Angulo behind the Rhinos defense on the left flank. Jumping quickly into the attack, Angulo picked his head up to see Arteaga racing to the back post. A brilliant early service by Angulo across the mouth of the goal would find the back of the net off Arteaga’s head. Angulo’s cross seemed to have eyes as it snuck between Nicht and Arteaga’s marker. Rising above the ball, Arteaga headed home from just inside the six yard box for his second tally of the season.

The Riverhounds would add an insurance goal in the 88th minute when Kinne struck from close range. Rich Costanzo played a driven ball down the right flank for Kevin Kerr. Digging the ball out of the corner, Kerr slipped a pass back for Kinne. Taking his first touch past the Rhinos defense, Kinne took a hard right-footed shot past Nicht for his first goal of the season.

The Riverhounds remain at home next Friday, June 7 when they host Toronto FC Reserves of the MLS. The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. and is being promoted as a “White-Out” night, with every spectator receiving a white T-shirt upon arrival at Highmark Stadium. The Rhinos return to Rochester to host the Montreal Impact Reserves next Friday. Their match is slated to start at 7:35 p.m. at Sahlen’s Stadium.

To purchase Riverhounds tickets, visit Riverhounds.com/tickets or call the Highmark Stadium Box Office at (412) 224-4900.

USA's Sydney Leroux said Canadian fans directed racial slurs at her. (AP Photo)(AP Photo/Colin E Braley)

NEW YORK (AP) - American women's national team forward Sydney Leroux said she was the object of a series of racist and sexist in recent days and said her provocative celebration after her weekend goal against Canada was a response to the abuse.

After scoring the final goal during stoppage time in Sunday's 3-0 exhibition win at Toronto's BMO Field, the 23-year-old player raised the U.S. Soccer Federation crest on her jersey toward the crowd, then put a finger to her mouth as if to silence the fans.

Born in British Columbia, Leroux moved to the U.S. as a teenager and was taunted with chants of "Judas" during the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament at Vancouver's BC Place in January 2012. On Monday, Leroux said on Twitter: "When you chant racial slurs, taunt me and talk about my family don't be mad when I shush you and show pride in what I represent. (hash)america."

Leroux said later Monday in a statement issued through the USSF that "my tweet from this morning wasn't in response to anything from yesterday's match at BMO Field."

"In fact, the atmosphere at the stadium was a positive step forward for women's soccer. Unfortunately, the type of abuse I have received in the past and via social media for my decision to play for the United States is a step backwards. That is what prompted my response in the heat of the moment."

The USSF collected some of the offensive tweets aimed at her, which referred to her with racial and sexist slurs and called her a "scab," ''insufferable classless," and "a loser."

"I hope you die of aids," another tweet read.

"It is sad that people are inclined to write these incredibly negative comments, but I am not going to focus on them moving forward," Leroux said. "Racism has no place in our beautiful game and we all need to come together to make sure no players are subjected to this kind of treatment in stadiums or on social media anywhere in the world. That said, the majority of fans have been extremely positive and I appreciate their support."

The game was the first meeting of the teams since the semifinals of last year's London Olympics, when a controversial decision by the referee contributed to a 4-3 U.S. win. Leroux received a yellow card for Sunday's celebration.

"Maybe not the classiest of moves," Canadian captain Christine Sinclair said after the game. "She scored on us, and an individual can do what they like. I probably wouldn't have done the same, but we move on."

Born in May 1990 in Surrey, British Columbia, Leroux moved to the Seattle area in 2005 and then to Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2007. She switched her soccer allegiance to the U.S. in 2008.

Leroux's father, Ray Chadwick, is Black and pitched in seven games for the California Angels in 1986. Her mother Sandi was a third baseman for Canada's softball team at the 1987 Pan American Games.

In this Aug. 3, 2012, file photo, United States' Sydney Leroux, right, passes by New Zealand's Rebecca Smith during a women's soccer match at the Summer Olympics at St. James' Park in Newcastle, England.  (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev, File)

Follow the New Pittsburgh Courier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier

Like our Fan Page us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl

Download our mobile app at http://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier

In this May 8, 1997, photo, Atlanta Hawks' Mookie Blaylock (10) drives against the Chicago Bulls' Ron Harper during an NBA basketball playoff game in Chicago. (AP Photo/Michael S. Green, File)

ATLANTA (AP) — Former NBA All-Star guard Daron "Mookie" Blaylock was upgraded to serious condition at an Atlanta hospital Saturday, a day after his SUV crashed head-on into a van and killed a woman.