College football recruiting

D.C. linebacker Johnson commits to Maryland

Four-star prospect Javarie Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 208-pound linebacker from Dunbar in Washington, switched his commitment to Maryland from Miami on Sunday, according to one of his coaches. "Basically, he just changed his mind and felt that he wanted to go to Maryland," Dunbar defensive line coach Ashaa Cherry said. "He wanted to be closer to home." Cherry said "it boiled down to Michigan and Maryland" for Johnson before he decided to inform Terps offensive coordinator James Franklin of his decision. Johnson led the Crimson Tide to a 9-2 record this season, earning Washington Post second-team All-Met honors. Cherry said Johnson hopes to start classes at Maryland this month. "Well, he's still trying to enroll early," Cherry said. "That was the plan at Miami, to enroll early. He had everything in place to graduate early - his SAT and his GPA. The only thing he has to do is basically turn all his application stuff in." Johnson entered his senior season as Washington's top-ranked player. Cherry said the hype never adversely affected the future Terp. "Actually, he handled it pretty well," Cherry said. "He didn't miss a practice, played in every game and was a leader on the field. When you get that high profile, you get a lot of attention, especially when you don't do well or if your team doesn't do well. But he led the team by example, as well as vocally. He's a gym rat, also. So in the end, [Maryland is] getting a pretty good football player."

- Matt Bracken

Women's college basketball

Loyola solves Saint Peter's, moves into 2nd place in MAAC

Loyola held off two rallies by Saint Peter's on Sunday and came away with a 69-59 victory, just its second win at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.C., since 1994. The Greyhounds (7-6, 3-1 MAAC) have taken four of their past five games and two straight in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; they're now second in the MAAC behind 3-0 Marist. Loyola's Miriam McKenzie had a game-high 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Kaitlin Grant matched her season-high with 19 points and had six rebounds. Erica DiClemente finished with nine points, six rebounds and two blocks. Jynae Judson led the Peahens (6-9, 2-2) with 21 points.

UMBC 61, Maine 52: : Senior guard Carlee Cassidy continued her domination of host Maine (4-11, 0-3 America East) with her first career double double of 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, as the Retrievers (7-8, 1-1) picked up their first conference victory of the season, 61-52. Cassidy, who entered the game averaging 18.5 points in six career contests against the Black Bears, made eight of 14 attempts from the field, including two 3-pointers, and added three assists and a steal. Sophomore guard Michelle Kurowski added 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, and sophomore forward Erin Brown scored in double figures for the first time since Dec. 12 with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and added seven rebounds.

Virginia Commonwealth 75, Towson 51: : Despite a season-high 28 points from Shanae Baker-Brice, the Tigers (8-6, 2-1) fell, 75-51, at Virginia Commonwealth, suffering its first Colonial Athletic Association loss of the season. "I thought we struggled to find a rhythm early and it cost us in the end," coach Joe Mathews said. "We need to find a way to remain consistent with our play." Baker-Brice's 28 points matched her career high. She added four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Wizards

Stevenson pays tribute to suspended 'Agent Zero'

While the Washington Wizards have removed virtually all traces of Gilbert Arenas from Verizon Center, one teammate found a way to get his suspended teammate's nickname visible Sunday before the team's loss to the New Orleans Hornets. DeShawn Stevenson took to the court during pre-game warm-ups with the words "AGENT" and "ZERO" written in red capital letters on tape wrapped just above his ankles. "He's still a part of the team, right?" Stevenson said. "He's still part of the team, he's my brother, so I'm going to stick to him through rough times. It's like my little tribute." The Wizards removed all Arenas-related merchandise from the arena and edited him out of the pre-game video after he was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday. Arenas is under investigation for taking guns to Verizon Center and related incidents. Fans arriving for the game also saw a new multistory banner on the facade of the arena, replacing the one that had featured Arenas. The new banner focuses on the team's community service, with the slogan: "On your team, on the court and in the community, Wizards care."

- From Sun staff and news services