NBA: Iverson threatens to retire

Detroit guard Allen Iverson said he would rather retire than be a full-time reserve. After scoring four points in 17 minutes of the Pistons’ 111-98 loss to the Nets last night, Iverson, 33, said he would not accept being a reserve next season.

“I’d rather retire before I do this again,” Iverson said. “I can’t be effective playing this way. I’m not used to it.

* In Boston, Ray Allen made a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the second overtime to lift the Celtics to a 111-109 victory over the Bobcats and into second place in the Eastern Conference.

COLLEGE: Pecora extended

Hofstra basketball coach Tom Pecora agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2013-14 season. The Pride went 21-11 under Pecora this past season, his eighth at the helm . . . Southern Cal’s Tim Floyd reportedly will be named coach at Arizona.

* UTEP (23-13) posted a 70-63 victory over visiting Oregon State (17-18) last night in Game 2 of the College Basketball Invitational. The decisive third game will be tomorrow night in Corvallis, Ore.

MLB: Glaus out 2 months

Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus is expected to miss at least two months following a setback in his rehabilitation from arthroscopic shoulder surgery in January. Originally expected to miss only a few weeks of the regular season, Glaus will be re-evaluated around June 1.

* Rays reliever Jason Isringhausen will begin the season on the disabled list, a move that will give him additional time to build arm strength following elbow surgery.

* The Rangers cleared the way for Andruw Jones to make their roster by releasing Frank Catalanotto, and announced that former Mets right-hander Kris Benson has made their starting rotation after not pitching in the majors since 2006.

NFL: Dallas policeman resigns

The Dallas police officer who pulled out his gun and threatened Texans running back Ryan Moats with jail instead of allowing him inside a hospital where his mother-in-law was dying resigned. Officer Robert Powell had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation of the March 18 incident.

* Receiver Isaac Bruce is postponing retirement for another season with the 49ers, his 16th NFL season.

GOLF: Starry field in Houston

Fifteen of the top 20 players in the world rankings will tee off today in the Shell Houston Open. With the Masters set for next week, Tiger Woods is sticking to his usual routine of not playing the run-up event to a major . . . Lorena Ochoa begins defense of her title today in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour.

ETC.: U.S. wins Cup qualifier

* In Nashville, 19-year-old Jozy Altidore became the youngest American with an international hat trick, and the U.S. beat Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 to maintain its lead in the final round of qualifying for next year’s World Cup. Altidore connected in the 13th, 71st and 89th minutes, all three times off passes from Landon Donovan.

* Serena Williams overcame a dismal start to beat Li Na 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Williams will face sister Venus Williams, a straight-sets winner over Iveta Benesova, in tonight’s semis. On the men’s side, Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.