The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Wilson Chandler to a five-year contract worth nearly $37 million, and the four-year NBA veteran is expected to join the roster and start playing as early as tonight. Chandler became a restricted free-agent after last season, during which he was dealt to the Nuggets as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade and averaged 12.5 points per game in 21 games in Denver. He chose to sign with a professional team in China during the NBA lockout and was ineligible to return to the league until his team in China and basketball’s international governing body signed off on his return. Chandler has averaged just under 14 points per game in his NBA career. The Nuggets were able to free up the money for this deal by trading Nene at the trade deadline on Thursday.

Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper was named to the Women’s College Basketball Association’s All-Region 6 team, making her one of 52 finalists for the association’s All-America team. The 6’2” sophmore from Alliance led the Huskers with 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. She was third in the Big Ten in scoring and led the conference in rebounding. Hooper is already a finalist for the Wade Trophy, the WCBA’s Player of the Year award, as well as the Naismith trophy, another national Player of the Year honor. The WCBA’s All-America team will be announced on March 31^st. Hooper and the Huskers open NCAA Tournament play on Sunday. The 24-8 Huskers are the sixth seed in the Des Moines Region. They take on eleven-seed Kansas Sunday night at 6:30 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Colorado Rockies picked up their sixth straight victory in Cactus League play with a 7-5 triumph over the Chicago Cubs yesterday afternoon. Catcher Wilin Rosario and utility-man Jordan Pacheco, both vying for roster spots, hit two-run home runs, and starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin worked three shutout innings. The Rockies take on the Cincinnati Reds in Goodyear, Arizona tonight.

The Denver Nuggets lost at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-90 on a day where they made a significant move at the trade deadline. The Nuggets sent Nene to the Washington Wizards as part of a three-team trade that brought big men Javale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver. The Nuggets are expected to waive Turiaf and use the savings from trading Nene’s contract to sign Wilson Chandler, who played for the Nuggets for half of last season.

The Nebraska baseball team shook off a slow start and revved up their offense for another home victory, defeating South Dakota State 12-3 at Hawks Field yesterday afternoon. In their fifth game in as many days, the sluggish Huskers trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Richard Stock and Blake Headley drove in runs in that frame to tie the game, and a Jackrabbit error allowed the go-ahead run to score in the fifth. The Huskers broke the game open with three runs in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run homer by Josh Scheffert, his second round-tripper in the last two games. A four-run eighth inning put the game further out of reach. Relief pitcher Aaron Bummer earned his first career win for the Huskers, who moved to 11-6 on the season. They open a four-game home series with Louisiana Tech on Thursday.

The Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 yesterday for their third straight Cactus League victory. Drew Pomeranz threw two scoreless innings before leaving the game with tightness in his right hip. Jonathan Herrera had two hits and two RBI for the Rockies, who are 4-6 in spring training action. The Rox will send split squads to face the Rangers and Diamondbacks today.