On the sidelines

Tampa Bay Bucs beat 49ers\nTampa Bay has lost all six of its road playoff games.\nAt home against the 49ers, just about everything went right.\nMike Alstott scored on a pair of 2-yard runs and Brad Johnson, who missed the last two regular-season games with a bruised back, threw TD passes of 20 yards to Joe Jurevicius and 12 yards to Rickey Dudley.\nAlstott's first TD snapped the Bucs' 12-quarter touchdown drought in the playoffs, a streak that began in an 11-5 loss to St. Louis in the 1999 NFC championship game.\nNFL Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brooks led another stellar performance by the Tampa Bay defense. The Bucs forced four turnovers, and the six-time Pro Bowl linebacker had an interception and recovered a fumble that Simeon Rice caused with one of the team's four sacks.\nJohnson completed 15 of 31 passes with one interception, and Keyshawn Johnson had five receptions for 85 yards to lead Tampa Bay to its third NFC title game. The Bucs also rushed for 121 yards, most of them in the second half when the 49ers struggled to stop Alstott and Michael Pittman.\nUSOC to meet about CEO Ward\nDENVER -- U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Lloyd Ward says he did nothing wrong in trying to steer Olympic business to a company with ties to his brother. Now the USOC will decide.\nThe USOC's executive committee meets Monday to consider Ward's case, and he could be cleared, censured or fired.\nHe is accused of helping his brother's company try to reach a deal with the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.\nWard has spent the past two weeks trying to save his job, saying that he did nothing wrong in trying to get a deal for Detroit-based Energy Management Technologies.\nHe sent at least two e-mails to the executive committee explaining his actions and sent a letter to the editor printed in Sunday's New York Times.\nRaptors 105, Timberwolves 91\nTORONTO -- Morris Peterson scored 20 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 105-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.\nToronto's backcourt of Peterson, Alvin Williams, Lindsey Hunter and newcomer Rafer Alston combined for 53 points as the Raptors won for the first time since Dec. 17 at Milwaukee.\nAlston, signed to a 10-day contract on Wednesday, had 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds. His jumper just before the shot clock expired gave Toronto a 15-point lead with 6:34 left.\nJerome Williams added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who won despite missing All-Star Vince Carter, who missed his 17th straight game with a strained right knee.\nCarter is expected to miss three more weeks.