Gianulias Leads in Anaheim Bowling

Nikki Gianulias won 20 of 24 matches Friday to capture the top seed in today’s finals of the $30,000 Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour Brunswick L.A. Open at the Wonder Bowl in Anaheim.

Gianulias, a Vallejo resident, averaged 224 for 42 games to finish with 10,043 pins--380 ahead of Jeanne Maiden of Solon, Ohio. Maiden, trying for her fourth title of the year, finished second with 9,663 pins.

Betty Morris of Stockton, trying for her 14th title and her first since 1980, qualified third with 9,552.

Robin Romeo of Van Nuys was fourth, at 9,516 pins.

She will bowl the opening match of the finals against Cindy Coburn of Buffalo, N.Y., who finished with 9,464 pins to win the fifth position by 16 pins over Tish Johnson of Downey.

Coburn, a two-time 1986 winner, has won her last 11 televised matches. She is trying to catch up with three-time champions Maiden and Lisa Wagner of Palmetto, Fla., in the 1986 Woman Bowler of the Year race.

The tournament is the fifth on the six-week $250,000 Dewey Stevens fall tour.

Gianulias, 26, has finished second three times and third twice in the last five tournaments on the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour. She has not won a title since February 1984.

“I’m not going to do anything different Saturday,” she said. “Like I say, sooner or later a break is going to come my way.”

Today’s finals will be televised nationally on ESPN starting at 2 p.m.