PAN AM ROUNDUP : U.S. Basketball Team Finally Comes Through

CBA doesn’t mean Can’t Beat Anybody at the Pan Am Games anymore.

The U.S. basketball team, consisting of Continental Basketball Association players, never trailed Tuesday in beating Puerto Rico, 97-78, giving the Americans their first victory after two losses.

Coach Mike Thibault, who said Monday night that he felt like he was facing a firing squad, said “the rifles are lowered” after the decisive victory.

“Getting the first win was important, but we still have two (preliminary-round) games to go and we can’t be thinking everything’s OK because we won one,” Thibault said. “We can’t sit back, because we’re not safely in the medal round.”

The U.S. team plays tonight against Uruguay, 1-2 after a 107-83 loss to undefeated Brazil, and Thursday night against winless Mexico. A 3-2 record would assure a spot in Friday’s semifinals.

Brian Davis scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half against Puerto Rico, nine during a game-opening 18-7 burst that put the Americans in front for good. Carl Thomas scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half as Puerto Rico got no closer than eight after halftime.

What’s next for the U.S. boxing team after finally getting a victory over the Cubans?

Light heavyweight Antonio Tarver of Orlando, Fla., broke an American eight-year Pan Am losing streak against the Cubans by taking an 11-10 decision over Diosvany Vega.

Tarver survived a first-round knockdown in a mauling, brawling fight to become the first American boxer to beat a Cuban in the Pan Ams since Kelcie Banks did it in Indianapolis in 1987.

The victory gave the United States seven boxers in the semifinals--all assured of at least bronze medals. Cuba has 10.

The U.S. team lost a fighter when Eric Morel was unable to fight Cuba’s Raul Gonzalez at 112 pounds because of a bruised right hand.

Tarver’s victory came just after an impressive performance by Fernando Vargas, a 17-year-old high school junior from Oxnard, who fought beyond his years in stopping Canada’s Richard Boudreault in the first round of their 139-pound fight.

Vargas, the youngest member of the U.S. team, caught Boudreault with a right hook to the body that crumpled the Canadian in the corner at 2:50 of the first round.

“I want to win the gold medal so badly,” said Vargas, who won a U.S. championship at the age of 16. “I want to be known around the world as the greatest fighter who ever lived.”

The U.S. women’s softball team extended its record winning streak to 102 with a 2-0 victory over Cuba, its toughest rival here.

The American men beat the Dominican Republic, 4-0.

Cuba and Nicaragua were the big winners in baseball, turning Thursday’s game between the teams into a showdown for the gold.

Argentina advanced to the soccer final with a 3-2 victory over Honduras in a rough game.