U.S. Men Left to Regroup After Winning Bronze

The U.S. men’s basketball team won the bronze medal at the world championships Saturday night in Saitama, Japan, with a 96-81 win over Argentina.

It was the Americans’ last game until next summer, when they will try to earn a 2008 Olympic berth in the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela. A gold medal in the worlds would have punched their Olympic ticket, but a loss to Greece in the semifinals eliminated that possibility.

“We obviously wanted to get the automatic bid, but we didn’t,” guard Kirk Hinrich said. “Maybe it’ll be good for us. Maybe we need more time to jell as a team and we’ll have more time to play.”

The U.S. has a wealth of talent and coaching acumen. But that combination hasn’t been enough against teams groomed for the international game. The U.S. has failed to reach the final in each of its last three major international competitions.

Kobe Bryant, who missed this tournament after having minor knee surgery, is expected to be available next summer. On the court, there’s little doubt Bryant would help the U.S. But his presence could alter the chemistry of a team whose leadership was assumed by young captains Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.

On Saturday, Coach Mike Krzyzewski started all three captains together for the first time in Japan, with Dwight Howard and Kirk Hinrich. They responded by leading the team in scoring, Wade with 32 points, James with 22 and Anthony with 15.

Pau Gasol, Spain’s leading scorer and rebounder, has a partial fracture in his left foot and will not play in the gold medal game against Greece tonight, according to team officials.

BASEBALL

Americans Beat Nicaragua, 5-2,

Shortstop Brandon Wood hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to lead the United States to a 5-2 win over Nicaragua at the Americas Olympic Baseball Qualifier in Havana.

Right-hander Zach Segovia gave up four hits and struck out two to earn his second win. Franklin Sanchez took the loss for Cuba.

With four wins and a loss to Venezuela from the first round, the U.S. has already qualified for the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil and the 2007 World Cup in Taiwan. The Americans need to finish in the top two to clinch a berth in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The U.S. plays Panama tonight.

SOFTBALL

U.S. Advances to World Championship Playoffs

Alicia Hollowell pitched a one-hitter to lead the undefeated U.S. team past South Africa, 10-0, in five innings and into the playoffs of the world championships in Beijing.

Hollowell struck out six batters for the top-seeded United States (7-0), which will face second-seeded Australia today.

Shanel Garofalo’s third-inning triple powered Italy past Britain, 3-0. The win gave Italy the last playoff spot in its round-robin Pool A, joining the United States, Canada and China.

Taiwan beat Greece, 8-6, to earn the final playoff spot from Pool B, joining Japan, Australia and Venezuela. Japan beat Colombia, 7-0, and the Netherlands upset Australia, 4-2.

BOXING

Woods Keeps IBF Title on Split Decision

Clinton Woods survived a ninth-round battering to keep his IBF light-heavyweight title after a split decision over Glencoffe Johnson in Bolton, England.

A former world champion at the weight, Johnson, 37, landed a big right hand followed by two left hooks in the ninth. But the American failed to put Woods down in a contest that had no knockdowns, and the British fighter came back with three strong rounds.

On the same card, Souleymane Mbaye knocked down Raul Balbi twice before stopping him in the fourth round to win the vacant WBA light-welterweight title.

MISCELLANY

Sprinters Win the Day

at Moscow Meet

Sprinters led the United States to victory over Russia at the Russia’s Challenge meet in Moscow.

The U.S. and Russia split the 10 events, but the visitors won, 98.5-93.5, at the one-day meet. Russia had won the previous two tournaments.

Olympic 200-meter champion Shawn Crawford won the 100 in 10.15 seconds, beating countrymen Wallace Spearmon and Rodney Martin.

American Stephanie Durst won the women’s 100 in 11.28, bettering Russia’s Yulia Gushchina by 0.06.

Khadevis Robinson of the U.S. finished in 1 minute 47.52 seconds to win the 800, which was without Olympic champion Yuri Borzakovsky. Russians Ivan Nesterov and Dmitry Bogdanov won silver and bronze.

Sparks center Lisa Leslie is expected to be named the WNBA’s most valuable player today, a league source said.

Leslie earned her seventh WNBA first-team selection -- the most for any player -- on Saturday, joining Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Lauren Jackson and Katie Douglas on the team.

Leslie got 278 votes, two more than Taurasi.

She averaged 20 points and 9.5 rebounds, leading the Sparks to a 25-9 record.

PASSING

Oklahoma Wrestling Hero Chesbro Was 66

Tommy Chesbro, who wrestled for Oklahoma State before leading his alma mater to an NCAA championship as a coach, has died, university officials. He was 66.

He suffered a heart attack and died Friday night in Stillwater, where he’d spent more than four decades at Oklahoma State as an athlete, coach and athletic administrator.