Brazilians Clinch Olympic Volleyball Berths

Brazil’s Emanuel Rego and Jose Loiola defeated countrymen Ze’Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos, 16-14, in the final of the Chicago Grand Slam beach volleyball tournament Sunday.

Both teams secured berths in the Sydney Olympics by reaching the final round in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event. Rego and Loiola shared $32,000 for their second FIVB Tour victory this season.

Led by an upset effort by ninth-seeded Linda Hanley and Nancy Reno, four U.S. teams each won two matches to advance in the winner’s bracket of the women’s tournament, which continues today.

Pro Basketball

Police in Fresno said DeShawn Stevenson, Utah’s first-round pick in last week’s NBA draft, is under investigation for his part in a brawl at a high school gym last week.

Two combatants, Chris Sims, 18, and Calvin Howell Jr., 20, were cited, with Sims telling police Stevenson started the fight.

Greg Bass, director of police services for the Clovis Unified School District, told The Fresno Bee that Stevenson hasn’t been cleared.

Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics and Nazr Mohammed of the Philadelphia 76ers were robbed early Sunday morning outside a South Side restaurant, Chicago police said.

Officer Joseph Bourgoyne said an undetermined amount of cash and jewelry was taken, but WBBM-AM reported the amount was $3,000 in cash, and jewelry that included a $55,000 wristwatch.

Hockey

Scott Thornton left the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars to sign a four-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.

Terms of the deal signed Saturday were not disclosed. The left wing had eight goals and six assists for Dallas and Montreal last season.

The Boston Bruins signed free-agent defenseman Peter Popovic to a two-year contract.

Miscellany

World champion Maurice Greene, running his third 100-meter race in five days, was beaten at the Britain-U.S. Challenge meet in Glasgow, Scotland.

Britain’s Jason Gardner was timed at 10.40 seconds. Greene, who got a terrible start, finished fifth at 10.54.

North Carolina assistant Phil Ford, whose future with the Tar Heels is unclear after head coach Bill Guthridge retired, would like to stay at the school but said it’s out of his hands. . . . Olga Brusnikina won her third gold medal in synchronized swimming as Russia completed a sweep of the team titles at the European Championships at Helsinki, Finland.