Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 28, 1990 TAG: 9007280228
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: SEATTLE LENGTH: Medium
The United States men's basketball team beat Brazil 112-95 on Friday night as Kenny Anderson scored 25 points and Billy Owens added 22. The United States advances to Sunday's gold-medal game against Yugoslavia, which beat the Soviet Union 84-78 in the other semifinal.
The U.S. team had managed just an 11-of-44 effort on 3-pointers entering the game, but made six of nine in the first half alone and 10-of-16 in the game. Anderson, who was 1-of-6 on 3-pointers entering the game, had two to go with two other jumpers in a 17-point first half.
The United States again came up with a big defensive effort, holding Brazil well below its 103-point average for the first three games of the tournament.
Oscar Schmidt, who led Brazil to the upset gold-medal win over the United States in the 1987 Pan Am Games with 46 points, had 38, but he had to earn them against man-to-man coverage by Todd Day.
Day also had an impressive offensive showing, making two 3-pointers and scoring 16 points. Christian Laettner added 13.
The United States, which rebounded from the qualifying loss to the Soviet Union with a 113-76 victory over Italy, also beat Brazil on the boards, holding a 30-21 advantage in the first half. Brazil cut that to 47-44, but only because it grabbed most of the rebounds after the outcome was virtually decided.
The United States took control with an 11-5 run to close out the first half. That turned a 47-40 lead into a 58-45 halftime advantage.
The biggest lead was 25 points three times, the last at 102-77 with 6:35 to play on a drive to the basket by Alonzo Mourning.
Yugoslavia beat the Soviet Union behind the 31 points of Dino Radja.
The 6-foot-11 Radja, who said he will join the Boston Celtics next season, dominated inside against the Soviets, who don't have a true center with the absence of 7-2 Arvidas Sabonis. Yugoslavia outrebounded the Soviets 37-25.
Disaster closed in on the Soviets again later in the evening when their women gymnasts fell behind the United States halfway through the team competition. The Americans never have won a team gold medal in an Olympic-style meet, and it looked like a huge upset in the making as Kim Zmeskal, 14, freckled and stamped for stardom, was wowing the crowds.
But the heavily favored Soviets rallied in the final two events and won the gold narrowly. The United States settled for a silver medal and solid-gold future.
"We are now right on their heels," U.S. coach Bela Karolyi said. "Next year, we will be more experienced and more hungry."
The U.S. team took advantage of a rare mistake by Soviet world champion Svetelana Boginskaya, who fell from the uneven parallel bars, to lead 59.186-59.161 with two events left.
The Soviets had the floor exercise and vault left, and the Americans were to finish on the vault and uneven parallel bars. Zmeskal, competing despite tendinitis in her left hand, had a 9.912 out of a possible 10 in the uneven bars, her worst event, and 15-year-old Betty Okino scored 9.937.
"I told them before the competition that they had worked very hard, and there was nothing wrong with losing," said Alexander Alexandrov, the Soviets' coach.
But the Soviet girls got four scores over 9.9 in the vault, led by Oksana Chusovitina with 9.987, the best score of the night. They won with 118.759 points to 118.484 for the Americans. China was third.
"We knew the Americans would be very good, and their showing will produce an even bigger crowd tomorrow night," Alexandrov said.
With 39.661 points toward her team's total, Zmeskal had more points than any other gymnast, setting herself up for a big day today, when the women's all-around championship will be decided.
"I wasn't really surprised," Zmeskal said. "My routines were already set, and I just had to decide if I wanted to go all out."
The hockey tournament began Friday as Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 5-4.
Neither the Soviets nor the Americans open until today. The U.S. team plays Switzerland, and the Soviets open against West Germany.
The Soviets still are fuming over what they consider the theft of one of their star players, Sergei Fedorov, by the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. Fedorov left the Soviet team Sunday and flew to Detroit.
by CNB