Wednesday's sports briefs

Aliya Mustafina led Russia to the team title ahead of the United States and Olympic champion China at the world championships Wednesday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Even as Russia endured three falls on the uneven bars, 16-year-old Mustafina kept a cool head, leading the Russians to an overall score of 175.397. The U.S. finished with 175.196 and China 174.781.

It was Russia's first major gold medal in the women's team event in almost 20 years, since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

North Texas fires ex-prep coach North Texas fired coach Todd Dodge after 31/2 unsuccessful seasons and replaced him with the team's offensive coordinator, Mike Canales.

Dodge went 6-37 at North Texas after going 79-1 in his final five years at nearby Southlake Carroll High School. His hiring was a rare move: The last upper-division college program to hire a head coach straight out of high school was Notre Dame in 1981, taking Gerry Faust from Cincinnati Moeller.

UConn quarterback suspended for season

Connecticut quarterback Cody Endres was suspended for the remainder of the season for an unspecified violation of university policies. The junior had already served a monthlong suspension in September for a violation of school rules.

North Carolina cornerback Charles Brown won't play this season amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the program. He is the sixth player to be declared suspended for the entire season.

Petty Motorsports jettisons Kahne Kasey Kahne was released from Richard Petty Motorsports on Wednesday night, clearing the way for him to join Red Bull Racing for the final five races of the season.

RPM announced that Kahne was out of the No. 9 Ford effective immediately and that Aric Almirola would drive the car this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

The changed was preceded by Kahne's blowup Saturday night when his brakes failed at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Rooney explains his stance Manchester United won't guarantee it will spend enough to strengthen the team, superstar striker Wayne Rooney said in explaining his refusal to sign a new contract with the world's most famous soccer team.

FIFA suspends two officials

FIFA has provisionally suspended two top officials in a World Cup vote-selling scandal and will continue investigating the pair. Executive committee members Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti are barred from soccer-related duty until the probe ends.

NBA: Boston coach Doc Rivers was not on the bench for the Celtics' 107-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets, three days after a throat biopsy came back negative. Rivers said his doctor didn't want him raising his voice. "They didn't want me to scream until Friday," he said.

Golf: Ernie Els ran off three consecutive birdies on the back nine and turned a three-shot deficit into a one-shot victory over David Toms in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Southampton, Bermuda.

Minnesota Scene: The Gophers men's golf team tied for 10th place Tuesday at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in Fairfax, Calif. The Gophers finished with a 54-hole total of 846. ... The Gophers' Maggie Keefer was chosen the Big Ten Women's Diver of the Week. Keefer, a true freshman from Stillwater, won the 1-meter event in the Gophers' dual-meet victory over Iowa State.