Minneapolis ? The NCAA hit Minnesota with two more years of probation on Tuesday, for rule-breaking in the women’s basketball program, but spared the school harsher penalties.

The women’s basketball team will forfeit a scholarship in each of the two seasons, and recruiting will be trimmed back. The NCAA declined to shut down the program for two seasons, which was a possibility under the NCAA’s repeat violator rule, and didn’t ban the Gophers from postseason play.

Minnesota already was serving four years’ probation for academic cheating uncovered in the men’s program in 1999. Tuesday’s action extends the probation until October 2006.

New head coach Pam Borton, who took the job two months ago, said, “I’m excited that this is over and that this is done,” Borton said. “We can move on.”

Former coach Cheryl Littlejohn was fired before last season after a university investigation found she had given $200 to $300 to a player, bought clothes for others and encouraged players to lie to investigators.

Tuesday’s announcement cited several other violations by Littlejohn, including arranging free housing for recruits in 1998 and arranging for student managers and assistants to oversee improper workouts in 1998 and 2000.

The NCAA said Minnesota qualified as a repeat offender because of a violation in February 2001, but shutting down the program was deemed too severe .