NEW YORK Petr Prucha returned from exile to score his first goal of the season late in the third period and the New York Rangers went on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday night.

BERLIN Lufthansa said Wednesday its supervisory board had approved a deal to acquire Austrian Airlines AG, giving one of Europe's biggest airlines more routes across the continent and beyond.

AUBURN, Ala. For most of Tommy Tuberville's 10 seasons as Auburn coach, the Tigers were the best college football team in a state where that title is almost as important as the national championship.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. Greivis Vasquez had 23 points, a career-high 12 rebounds and six assists to carry Maryland over Michigan 75-70 Wednesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

ATLANTA Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing 12 games with a sprained ankle.

BOSTON Rajon Rondo notched his first career triple-double and Ray Allen scored 31 points, leading the Boston Celtics over the Indiana Pacers, 114-96 on Wednesday night for their 10th straight victory.

ORLANDO, Fla. Minnesota forward Mike Miller returned to the game late in the third quarter after being taken to the locker room against Orlando on Wednesday night with an apparent knee injury.

MIAMI Cedric Essola scored 17 points to lead Florida International to a 67-41 victory over Florida Memorial on Wednesday night.

SAN JOSE, Calif. Joe Thornton had a goal and three assists in San Jose's fantastic first period, and the Sharks looked sharp in front of former coach Ron Wilson during their eighth straight victory, 5-2 over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. The New York Giants expect Antonio Pierce to play in Sunday's game against Philadelphia while the team gathers information on the linebacker's involvement in a shooting that led to the season-ending suspension of star receiver Plaxico Burress.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Tyler Smith had the first triple-double in school history, helping No. 10 Tennessee romp to an 87-69 win over UNC-Ashville on Wednesday night.

ST. PAUL, Minn. Two nights after getting embarrassed, Minnesota got back to its kind of hockey with strong defense and an opportunistic offense.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. With little fanfare and even less to say, Michelle Wie took an important first step Wednesday toward earning an LPGA Tour card by opening with a 3-under 69 in the 90-hole qualifying tournament.

OTTAWA A 21-year-old man was taken to hospital after he fell about 25 feet from the upper deck of Scotiabank Place during the second intermission of the Ottawa Senators' victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night.

MILWAUKEE Charlie Villanueva came off the bench to score 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and seldom-used Dan Gadzuric had 11 points and 14 rebounds, lifting the Milwaukee Bucks to a 97-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday the Pakistani government must mount a "robust response" to the terror shootings in India, which blames the carnage on terrorists operating from neighboring Pakistan.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden The Swedish government on Wednesday said it's ready to support U.S.-owned automakers Volvo and Saab but doesn't want to take over the troubled brands.

WASHINGTON Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates and help stabilize the battered U.S. housing market.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. James Johnson scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half, and No. 15 Wake Forest routed Indiana 83-58 on Wednesday night.

CONWAY, S.C. Josh Johnson scored 17 points as Presbyterian rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat Coastal Carolina 56-53 in overtime Wednesday night in the conference opener for both teams.