More sports

U.S. women remain undefeated, advance

By TIMES WIRES
Published September 19, 2006

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Candace Parker and Tina Thompson each scored 14 points, and the two-time defending champion United States beat the Czech Republic 63-50 on Monday to secure a quarterfinal berth in the women's World Championship.

Diana Taurasi added 13 points in the victory over the European champs.

In an earlier game, Lauren Jackson scored 30 points and helped Australia stay unbeaten heading into the quarters with an 83-49 win over Argentina.

Australia finished first in Group E, followed by Spain and Brazil. Lithuania claimed the last quarterfinal berth in the group over Argentina based on point differential.

Amaya Valdemoro scored 39 points, and Ana Montanana added 11 in Spain's 75-55 victory over Lithuania.

Iziane Castro Alves had 17 points to lead Brazil to an 82-41 rout of Canada. But the host team lost veteran Janeth dos Santos Arcain, who sprained her right ankle and was carried off the court.

Russia and France claimed the final two quarterfinals spots in Group F. France lost to China 66-64, but the two-point margin helped the French advance.

NBA

HEART SCREENING FOR ALL PLAYERS: Jolted this past fall by the death of one player and stung by the controversy surrounding another, the league is for the first time requiring standardized cardiac screening for every player.

The rules, developed during the past year, were sent to teams this summer but were not publicized. The move is viewed as a significant step toward preventing heart-related deaths on the court.

The NBA's program is the most extensive among the four major American sports leagues.

"The standardized and systematic strategy that the NBA is instituting is very reasonable and important," said Dr. Barry J. Maron, a cardiologist who served on a four-person panel that helped the league devise the program. "They should be given substantial credit for this initiative."

League officials said that such an initiative had long been discussed. But they were spurred to act by two disturbing events. On Oct. 15, Jason Collier, 28, a center for Atlanta, died of an abnormally enlarged heart. Relatives said Collier had been unaware of any heart problems.

Two weeks earlier, the Chicago Bulls traded center Eddy Curry, then 22, to the Knicks because of concerns he might be predisposed to a potentially fatal heart condition. The Knicks, after consulting numerous cardiologists, concluded that Curry was not at risk.

The NBA's screening process will include a physical examination, blood work and three heart tests: an electrocardiogram, a resting echocardiogram and a stress echocardiogram. Players will be asked to provide personal and family medical histories to determine predisposition to certain heart problems.

The tests will be administered annually and must be completed before a player can participate in training camp.

NETS: The team agreed to extend its lease at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., for five years, though the Nets expect to be in a new arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., for the 2009-10 season. The extension would allow the Nets to continue playing at the Meadowlands arena through the 2012-13 season, chief executive Brett Yormark said.

[Last modified September 19, 2006, 01:27:06]