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Sluggish U.S. Wins Opener

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

The U.S. basketball team arrived in Asia two weeks before the world championships tipped off so the players could adjust to a different time zone.

However, early in their opener against Puerto Rico on Saturday, the Americans looked as if they had just stepped off a flight from the United States. FIBA’s top-ranked team trailed No. 11 Puerto Rico, 36-32, midway through the second period.

The Americans eventually woke up and rolled to a 111-100 victory at Sapporo, Japan.

Afterward, they acknowledged they’ll have to improve if they hope to bring home the first world championship for the U.S. since 1994.

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“We didn’t get off to the start we wanted to,” guard Kirk Hinrich said. “We played in stretches. A lot of that is a credit to Puerto Rico and the way they played and the effort they gave. Moving forward, I think we’re just going to have to play a lot more consistent and play better for longer periods of time.”

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points, and LeBron James and Hinrich each had 15. Chris Paul had 11 points, nine assists and five steals for the U.S., which outrebounded Puerto Rico, 36-27.

Carlos Arroyo scored 23 points to lead Puerto Rico, and Elias Ayuso had 14.

In other games of note, defending champion Serbia and Montenegro lost its opener to Nigeria, 82-75, and Olympic champion Argentina defeated France, 80-70. Both of those games were played at Sendai, Japan.

TENNIS

Roddick Powers Way

to Final in Ohio

Andy Roddick overwhelmed Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the finals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters at Mason, Ohio.

Roddick will meet Juan Carlos Ferrero, the player he beat for his 2003 U.S. Open title, in the final. Ferrero defeated Tommy Robredo, 6-3, 6-4.

Martina Hingis reached the Rogers Cup final at Montreal when Anna Chakvetadze quit during the second set because of an injured right arm.

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Hingis will have to wait to find out her opponent in the final because a driving rain forced postponement of the semifinal between Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina with Ivanovic leading, 6-1, 3-4. The Ivanovic-Safina match was rescheduled for this morning, with the final to follow. Rain is forecast.

GOLF

Pressel Finishes Strong

and Gets Share of Lead

With a 25-foot putt from the fringe on the 18th hole, LPGA Tour rookie Morgan Pressel grabbed a share of the lead in the Safeway Classic entering the final round at Portland, Ore.

Pressel finished the second round with a 69 for a seven-under-par 137 total at Columbia-Edgewater Golf Club.

She joins Jenna Daniels, Jeong Jang and Candie Kung at the top. Six others were one stroke off the pace at six under atop a tight leaderboard on the par-72, 6,327-yard course near Portland International Airport.

Don Pooley shot a seven-under 65 and took a one-stroke lead over Scott Simpson and first-round leader Massy Kuramoto in the Boeing Greater Seattle Classic at Snoqualmie, Wash.

Pooley, who turns 55 next week, finished at 12-under 132 on the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge course.

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Simpson, the 1987 U.S. Open champion, was at 11 under after a career-best round of 61 that included 11 birdies, seven on the back nine.

His previous best round was 62 at the 1991 Hawaiian Open. It also set the competitive record for the Jack Nicklaus-designed TPC course.

MOTOR RACING

Earnhardt Bumps

His Way to a Victory

Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Carl Edwards out of the way on a restart in overtime and grabbed a contentious victory in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.

It was the 23rd win by a Nextel Cup regular in 25 Busch races.

Casey Mears finished second.

Mat Mladin won the opening race of the AMA Superbike doubleheader at Virginia International Raceway at Alton, Va., topping injured teammate Ben Spies.

Spies overcame the broken right hand he suffered Friday during qualifying and finished second. Neil Hodgson was third on a Ducati.

MISCELLANY

Peirsol Beats Phelps

in Record Time

Aaron Peirsol defeated Michael Phelps by 2.37 seconds with a world record in the 200-meter backstroke at the Pan Pacific Championships at Victoria, Canada

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Phelps later led off the United States’ 400 freestyle relay that set a world record.

In the backstroke showdown between the rivals, Peirsol touched in 1 minute 54.44 seconds -- 0.22 of a second better than the mark he set last year. Peirsol hasn’t lost in the event in six years.

Phelps teamed with Neil Walker, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak for the record in the 400 relay. They won in 3:12.46 -- more than 3 1/2 seconds faster than Canada.

Notre Dame is looking into whether student-athletes, including football and basketball players, violated NCAA rules with comments promoting a local sports talk show on a local CBS affiliate.

John Heisler, Notre Dame’s senior associate athletic director, said the school had not seen the spots, promoting “Sports Dogz” on WSBT, so it does not know if it violates NCAA rules.

Nastia Liukin, despite a wobbling, warbling beam routine that belied her usual elegance and excellence, won her second consecutive national gymnastics title at the U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn.

Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger swept the final of the AVP Brooklyn Open, defeating Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, 21-19, 21-17.

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