RALEIGH, N.C. -- A federal judge has granted the NCAAs motion to dismiss the governing body from a lawsuit filed by two former North Carolina athletes seeking to hold it at least partly responsible for the schools long-running academic fraud scandal.In a ruling signed Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Loretta C. Biggs stated attorneys for former womens basketball player Rashanda McCants and ex-football player Devon Ramsay hadnt proven that the NCAA had a legal obligation to ensure the soundness of classes offered at UNC under state law.McCants and Ramsay filed their lawsuit in January 2015 months naming the NCAA and UNC as defendants, arguing that neither had done enough to ensure athletes receive a quality education while citing the scandal on the Chapel Hill campus as a result. The case against UNC is still pending.NCAA spokeswoman Emily James didnt immediately return an email for comment Friday afternoon.The lawsuit came three months after an independent probe conducted by former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein outlined nearly two decades of irregular courses featuring GPA-boosting grades in a department popular with athletes.The case led to questions from UNCs accreditation agency, which placed the school on a year of probation that expired in June. UNC also is currently facing five potentially top-level charges from the NCAA connected to the case.Biggs issued a stay on UNCs motion to dismiss, noting that another lawsuit filed by two former ex-UNC athletes is pending while the court determines whether the school is an arm of the state with sovereign immunity. That case was filed by former football player Michael McAdoo and former womens basketball player Kenya McBee.Biggs heard arguments and questioned attorneys in both cases during an all-day court session in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in April.It would appear that what the Plaintiffs really seek is for the NCAA to do more, i.e., to undertake these tasks of oversight and ensuring the academic soundness of courses, Biggs writes in Fridays order.One of the attorneys handling the McCants-Ramsay case is Michael Hausfeld, who represented former UCLA mens basketball standout Ed OBannon in an antitrust case against the NCAA. Another is Robert F. Orr, a former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice who has become an advocate of NCAA reform.In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Orr said that attorneys would take some time digesting Biggs order to figure out whether to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, located in Richmond, Virginia.We have to sit down and evaluate the chances of success and review the judges order to see what we disagree with other than the conclusions, Orr said.The case centers on independent study-style courses requiring a research paper or two in the formerly named African and Afro-American Studies (AFAM) department. Many were misidentified as lecture courses that didnt meet and were run by an office administrator, not a faculty member.Wainsteins probe estimated more than 3,100 students were affected between 1993 and 2011, with athletes across numerous sports making up roughly half the enrollments.Hausfeld had argued that athletes who took even one of the irregular courses had been defrauded, while noting the NCAA bore some oversight responsibility for academics in college sports.But Biggs writes the NCAAs public statements espousing aspirational goals regarding academics for athletes werent enough to trigger a legal duty to ensure the quality of courses. Biggs also dismisses claims of negligence, noting it would only apply to physical injury or property damage instead of purely economic damages according to state law.In addition, Biggs notes that broad, sweeping assertions in the lawsuit do little to support ... that the NCAA voluntarily assumed a duty of care to them.To the extent that Plaintiffs raise policy rather than legal issues for the Court to determine, Plaintiffs have chosen the wrong forum, the order states.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardapRon Lee Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Charles Barkley Jersey . 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LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59.SPOKANE, Wash. -- One thing was obvious when No. 14 Gonzaga took the floor against Bryant on Friday night: The Zags were a whole lot bigger.Gonzaga put that size to good use.Przemek Karnowski scored 22 points and Johnathan Williams added 20 to help Gonzaga beat Bryant 109-70.Zach Collins added 18 points for Gonzaga (3-0), which is seeking a 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.Karnowski and Collins are both 7-footers and Williams is 6-9. Bryants tallest starter was Dan Garvin at 6-6.We had a huge size advantage, Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. You take what they give you.Five players scored in double figures for Gonzaga, which shot 55.7 percent from the floor to 42.6 percent for Bryant. Gonzaga won the rebound battle 39-34, and had a 50-30 advantage on points in the paint.Nisre Zouzoua scored 22 points and Adam Grant had 17 for Bryant (1-2), which lost to Gonzaga the only previous time the teams met, in 2013.They have tremendous size, not just in the starting lineup but off the bench, Bryant coach Tim OShea said. Even on the wing spots theyve got tremendous length.I thought for the most part of the game we competed pretty good, OShea said.Despite the lopsided score, Few noted that Bryant was always in striking distance for much of the game.Gonzaga enjoyed a big advantage at the free throw line, sinking 34-of-45 free throws. Bryant made 11-of-19.Both teams are known as the Bulldogs.Gonzaga was coming off a 69-48 win over San Diego State on Monday that was the Aztecs largest margin of defeat in nine seasons, a span of 260 games.The Zags built an early lead and slowly extended it for most of the game. Bryant was undone by 23 turnovers.Our press was good tonight, Few said. It created a lot of adversity for them.Nigel Williams-Goss scored nine Gonzaga points in a row for a 20-10 lead midway through the ffirst.ddddddddddddCollins scored seven straight points as Gonzaga pushed its lead to 27-12. At that point the Zags had made 11-of-15 field goals.Grant hit consecutive 3-pointers to bring Bryant to 34-25. But Gonzaga went on an 11-2 run to rebuild its lead to 18 points.Gonzaga led 50-38 at halftime, thanks to 16 points by Karnowski and 63 percent shooting. Grant had 17 points for Bryant in the first, including four 3-pointers, and they shot nearly 54 percent from the field.Both teams cooled off from the field in the second half, but Gonzaga relentlessly pulled away for the easy win.I think theyve got all the ingredients of a team that has the potential to make a run at the whole thing, OShea said of Gonzaga.BIG PICTUREBryant: Scrappy but undersized Bryant couldnt overcome Gonzagas size and hot shooting.Gonzaga: Taller Gonzaga had trouble putting Bryant away early despite good shooting, especially in the first half. Zags pull away in the second.UP NEXTBryant plays at Eastern Washington in nearby Cheney in the Legends Classic on Monday.Gonzaga plays Quinnipiac at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday.POLL IMPLICATIONSGonzaga concluded a three-game home stand that featured three easy wins that are not likely to command much extra attention from Top 25 voters.NATIVE AMERICAN COLORSIn honor of Native American Heritage Month, Gonzaga wore customized turquoise uniforms. The color is symbolic of friendship in Native American cultures. The National Anthem was sung in Salish, a Native American language.VERSUS RHODE ISLANDGonzaga is 2/3 against teams from Rhode Island. It has beaten Bryant twice, and lost twice to Providence and once to the University of Rhode Island. ' ' '