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Empire jettisons

starting quarterback

SPOKANE — Quarterback Charles Dowdell, who threw two interceptions last week as Spokane suffered its third straight loss in Indoor Football League play, was released by the Empire on Tuesday.

Spokane (7-5), now in danger of missing the playoffs with four games remaining, plays host to the Colorado Crush (3-9) tonight at 7 at the Spokane Arena.

Dowdell will be replaced by rookie Aaron Wilmer, who came on last week after Dowdell was benched, and passed for 70 yards and a touchdown in Spokane’s 45-36 loss at Colorado.

Smits’ nephew signs to

play hoops at Idaho

MOSCOW — Cassius Smits-Francisco, whose uncle and guardian is former NBA player Rik Smits, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Idaho, Vandals coach Don Verlin said.

Smits-Francisco, of Cave Creek, Ariz., had a shortened senior season with Cactus Shadows High due to injury his junior year. The 6-foot-9, 235-pounder averaged seven points five rebounds and 1.3 blocks.

EWU signs grad

transfer from Lithuania

Seven-foot center Benas Griciunas from UNC Charlotte will spend his senior season at Eastern Washington University as a graduate transfer, first-year EWU men’s basketball coach Shantay Legans announced.

Formerly from Silute, Lithuania, Griciunas originally played the 2013-14 season at Auburn before spending the last two playing for the 49ers. He comes to Eastern with 59 games of NCAA Division I experience, including 12 as a starter.

He also played on the Lithuania U-18, U-19 and U-20 national teams, and played three years at national prep power Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev. He was a three-star prospect prior to signing with Auburn.