A dominant third quarter made up for an uninspired first half and the United States defeated New Zealand 110-62 Tuesday night to set up a meeting of the only unbeaten teams at the World Championships.

Michael Finley and Paul Pierce scored 20 points each and Shawn Marion added 16 for the Americans (5-0), who conclude the second round against Argentina (5-0) tonight.

The U.S. team outscored New Zealand 27-10 in the third quarter and 35-10 in the fourth to make it a rout.

Playing lethargically for long stretches, the Americans didn't open their first double-digit lead until midway through the third quarter. They held New Zealand scoreless for a stretch of 61/2 minutes and used a 15-0 run that included an eight-point possession to break things open.

MORE BASKETBALL: Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal will have surgery on his right foot Sept. 11 and could miss the start of the season. The surgery, which involves removing bone spurs that have caused pain and restricted his motion, will be performed at UCLA and O'Neal's recovery could take six weeks. ... A passenger in a car driven by Bulls guard Jalen Rose was shot in the face during a carjacking attempt. Rose was not hurt. The passenger was hospitalized, but his injury was not life-threatening, according to police. The pair, traveling in a new Bentley, were approached at about 3 a.m. in Brentwood by an armed man who demanded the car. Rose sped away, but the suspect started firing, striking the 34-year-old passenger.

AUTOS: Former IRL champion Greg Ray was hired to drive in the last two races of the season for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The 1999 series champion will replace injured Richie Hearn in the race Sunday at Chicago Speedway and in the season finale Sept. 15 at Texas Motor Speedway. Last week, Ray requested his release from his contract with A.J. Foyt instead of driving a third Foyt car in the last two races.

GOLF: Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and popular Duffy Waldorf, the winner of four PGA Tour events, have committed to the $2.6-million Tampa Bay Classic. The tournament is Sept. 19-22 on the Copperhead Course at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor. Janzen's U.S. Open titles in 1988 and 1993 are among eight tour victories claimed by the 38-year-old. He ranks 54th on the money list with three top 10 finishes, including a sixth at the International last weekend. Waldorf has four top 10 finishes this season and is 55th on the money list. ... A television cameraman died in a forklift accident while taping the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf exhibition between Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia in Carmel, Calif. Brian Blodgett, a cameraman for all 42 of the Shell's matches since they were revived in 1994, died while being taken to the hospital. The cause of death was pending an autopsy. Blodgett, of Jacksonville, was 37. He is survived by his wife, Kelly.

HOCKEY: The Red Wings re-signed defenseman Jiri Fischer to a two-year contract. Fischer, a first-round pick in the 1998, had his best season last year with two goals and eight assists in 80 games. ... Colby Armstrong, the Penguins' first-round draft choice in 2001, signed a three-year deal. ... The Oilers signed forward Jarret Stoll to a three-year contract. ... The St. Pete Parrots have signed three more players for their first season in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, bringing their roster to 10. All three have played with coach/general manager Bruce Ramsay. Defenseman/forward Jeff Lukasak, 24, and defenseman Colin Young, 23, and defenseman/forward Ken Fels, 24, joined the team.

HORSES: Street Cry, the world's top-rated older horse who was training for the Breeders' Cup Classic next month, was retired because of an ankle injury. The 4-year-old never finished out of the money in 12 starts and earned $5,150,837 with five victories, six seconds and one third-place finish.

-- TIMES WIRES, BRANT JAMES

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