PAN AMERICAN GAMES : The Day in Review : Women’s Basketball

Unlike the U.S. men’s team, which broke a backboard, the U.S. women didn’t break anything more than the spirits of the Canadian team with an 87-70 victory that began their hope for a third consecutive Pan Am gold medal. It was the 42nd consecutive international victory for the U.S. women. Cuba had no trouble with Argentina winning, 93-47.

In men’s action, Puerto Rico joined the United States as a first day winner beating Canada, 95-77. Former Temple player Ramon Rivas had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Puerto Rico. The United States beat Cuba, 92-88.

Canoe/Kayak

Cuba emerged as a major force in this sport winning five of seven races held in an irrigation reservoir 20 miles southwest of Havana. Angel Perez, a 20-year-old student who has been paddling only six years, won three gold medals including a stun ning upset of Mike Herbert of Rogers, Ark., in the 500-meter kayak.

“He surprised me with a world-class race,” said Herbert, individual and doubles kayak silver medalist in last year’s World Championships in Poznan, Poland.

Perez also won in the 500-meter doubles and four-man team com petition. Cuba managed only one medal at the last Pan Am Games at Indianapolis in 1987.

Canada’s Corrina Kennedy narrowly defeated Cuba’s Tatiana Valdes in the women’s individual and doubles kayak events.

In other races, Mark Hammond of Costa Mesa and Peter Newton of Bellingham, Wash., finished second in the 500 men’s kayak doubles. Sharon Attlesey of Newport Beach and Deanne Hemmens of San Diego won the silver in the women’s 500 kayak and Megan Duffy of Costa Mesa was third in the women’s 500.

Diving

Kent Ferguson reversed the results of the Olympic Festival at Los Angeles by beating Mark Bradshaw in the three-meter competition. It was Ferguson’s 16th victory in international competition. Bradshaw beat Ferguson at the Festival two weeks ago.

But it was Edgar Ospina of Cuba who gave the crowd of 3,000 the biggest thrill by leading after the sixth, seventh and eighth dives.

Ospina, 24, finished fourth in the field of eight. But each time he hit the water, the Cuban spectators erupted with a roar.

Ospina’s ninth dive cost him the lead and, ultimately, a medal. He scored 46.8 in that round, compared with scores of more than 71 by the two Americans and Jorge Mondragon of Mexico.

Ferguson, who won this year’s world championship, was fourth after four dives, in part because he saved all of his most difficult--and highest-scoring--dives for the latter part of the competition.

Field Hockey

The United States opened play in the men’s competition with a 2-0 victory over Trinidad. Ben Maruquin of Ventura and Drew Stone of Weatogue, Conn., scored for the Americans. A gold medal would automatically qualify the U.S. team for the 1992 Games in Barcelona. In other games, Chile beat Guyana, 3-1, and Barbados upset Cuba, 3-2. Venezuela and Jamaica tied, 2-2.

Gymnastics

Cuba took the lead in the compulsory round of the men’s team championship with 291.80 points. The United States (288.95) was second and Mexico (279.80) third. Medals will be awarded after Monday’s team optional. In compulsories, athletes must perform a prearranged routine in the six disciplines--rings, pommel horse, floor exercise, vault, horizontal bar and parallel bars.

Softball

Former UCLA star Debbie Doom threw a perfect game as the U.S. women beat Netherlands Antilles 4-0. Doom, whose pitches have been clocked at 65 m.p.h., struck out 16 of 21 batters. In other women’s games, Puerto Rico beat Nicaragua, 4-0; Venezuela defeated Canada, 1-0, and Cuba beat The Bahamas, 4-3.

In men’s action, the United States beat the Antilles, 3-0. In other games, the Bahamas beat Panama, 5-4, Canada shut out Mexico, 8-0 and the Dominican Republic defeated Aruba, 11-1.