Ryan Newman broke a 77-race Sprint Cup winless streak last night at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., taking the lead after a late caution and holding off Jeff Gordon in a two-lap shootout.

Kyle Busch was cruising to what would have given him a weekend sweep when a caution flag came out with three laps remaining. When the lead-lap cars pitted, Busch took four tires and came out eighth — behind six cars that took only two tires and Jimmie Johnson, who also took four and was seventh out of the pits.

Gordon beat everybody out of the pits, but spun his tires on the restart in a green-white-checker finish. Newman then charged inside and took the lead, and held on for his first victory since the 2008 Daytona 500.

"It's been a long time coming for me to get to Victory Lane," Newman said. "I'm gracious to be here. This is the most emotional victory I've ever had in my entire career just because it's been so long."

BOXING

HOLYFIELD WINS BELT

Evander Holyfield stopped Frans Botha in the eighth round to win the WBF heavyweight title last night before a crowd of 2,200 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The 47-year-old Holyfield (43-10-2) knocked the 41-year-old Botha (47-5-3) down with 2:36 left in the round with a right to the left chin.

Botha beat referee Russell Mora's count, but with 2:05 left Mora stopped the fight with Botha backed into a corner. It was Holyfield's 28th career knockout.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WILDCAT MAY STAY

Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson says he hasn't necessarily closed the book on his college career, even though the school announced he was going pro.

"I'm half in and half out right now," Patterson said in an interview with The Associated Press yesterday while watching horse races at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Patterson called the decision on whether to leave or stay for a senior season "a tie," adding that he hasn't signed the paperwork to enter the NBA draft so "technically I haven't declared."

HOCKEY

B.C. WINS NCAA

Cam Atkinson scored twice, John Muse made 20 saves and Boston College won the NCAA hockey championship for the second time in three years with a 5-0 victory against Wisconsin last night in Detroit.

A world indoor attendance record was set for hockey with a crowd of 37,592 at the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

Will Power will start the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Birmingham up front after claiming the pole yesterday with a fast speed of 118.057 mph. ... Andre Berto (26-0) stopped Carlos Quintana (27-3) in the eighth round last night to retain his WBC welterweight championship at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. .... Hall of Fame boxing referee Arthur Mercante, the third man in the ring for the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight and more than a hundred other world title bouts, died yesterday at his home in Westbury, N.Y. He was 90.