Taurasi tested positive for modafinil

WNBA standout and former Connecticut star Diana Taurasi tested positive for modafinil while playing in a professional women's league in Turkey, the country's basketball federation said Friday.

Neither her lawyer nor her team, Fenerbahce, would confirm that Taurasi tested positive for the stimulant, which has been involved in several major doping cases, including that of U.S. sprinter Kelli White.

Modafinil is used to counter excessive sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift-work sleep disorder or sleep apnea, according to the Web site for the prescription drug Provigil, which contains the substance.

The Turkish Basketball Federation statement cited a report from the lab at Hacettepe University and said: "the urine sample taken from Diana Taurasi as a part of the regular process, after a game between Istanbul University and Fenerbahce . . . tested positive for modafinil, one of the illegal substances on WADA's banned stimulants list, according to preliminary test results." WADA is the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"We're not going to confirm what the drug is," Taurasi's attorney, Howard Jacobs, told the Associated Press. "We'll revisit it after the 'B' sample returns. They shouldn't be speaking about it at all."

Baseball

Right-handed pitcher Ricky Nolasco has signed a three-year, $26.5 million contract with the Florida Marlins. Nolasco is expected to earn $6 million in 2011, $9 million in 2012 and $11.5 in 2013.

He made $3.8 million last season, when he went 14-9 with a 4.51 ERA. The 28-year-old missed the final month after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery. . . .

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms of a one-year contract with Brad Hawpe to play first base, two people with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending Hawpe passing a physical exam. Hawpe will replace three-time all-star Adrian Gonzalez, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox earlier this month. . . .

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed minor league left-hander Aaron Thompson off waivers and designated left-hander Wil Ledezma for assignment. Thompson was left unprotected by the Washington Nationals, who acquired him from Florida for first baseman Nick Johnson in 2009. Thompson, who made 26 starts at Class AA Harrisburg last season, was a first-round pick in 2005.

MISC.

Buffalo Sabres leading scorer Derek Roy will miss the rest of the season after tearing his left quadriceps tendon. General Manager Darcy Regier announced the center is expected to miss between four to six months, and will have surgery to repair the injury in the next couple of days.

Roy was hurt Thursday in the first period of a 4-3 loss to Florida when he was driven into the boards by Dmitry Kulikov. . . .

David Fay is retiring from the U.S. Golf Association, his two decades as executive director marked by a steady push for golf's return to the Olympics and for the U.S. Open to be held on golf courses that anyone could play.