Daily News from New York, New York • 170

58 DAILY SPORTS NEWS Tuesday, August 6. 1991 TJU MuiiuLIiiiS for 0J.S. taps Mwwyn: HAVANA About 20 hours after its 12-year Pan Am Games winning streak was snapped by Brazil, the U.S women's basketball team pounded Argentina, 97-40. Katrina McClain led with 20 points, and Theresa Edwards had 18. Venus Lacy, the 6-4 center from Louisiana Tech who missed Brazil game because of dehydration, scored 13.

Brazil's women also won, beating Canada, 74-66. The U.S. men's team pulled away from a six-point half- time lead to beat Venezuela, 91-66. All 12 players scored for the Americans, who received strong support from the crowd. In nine track and field events, the Americans came out without a gold.

Cuba won six golds matching its entire total in 43 events at the 1987 games at Indianapolis and Brazil three. The U.S., which won 26 golds four years ago, collected five silvers and four bronze. Cuba's liana Allen won gold in women's 100, edging American Chryste Gaines in 11.39. In men's 100, late burst by Brazil's Robson Da Silva overcame Andre Cason of 1111 U.S. Da Silva came in at 10.31.

Another American, Jeff Williams, won the bronze. Leading 1,500 meters with just 15 meters to go, Princeton's Bill Burke couldn't hold off a charging Brazilian, Jose Valiente, and had to settle for the silver. Valente finished in 3:42.9, Burke in 3:43.04 Fidel Castro was on hand at Estadio Olim- i in Willi" pico to watch track and field, which made for increased TOE TO TOE: Katrina McClain scraps for ball with an Argentine dunng 97-40 triumph by U.S. women. security check.

Men's and women's 400s went as ex pected, with Cuba's Roberto Hernandez (44.62) and Ana Quirot (50.27) winning golds. Other winners were Cuba's Ramon Gonzalez in the men's javelin at 259-7; ffira.feisfi Cuba's loamnet Quintero in the women's high jump at DuflOTuD 6-2, and Brazil's Adauto Domingues in the men's steeplechase in 8:36.01. Brooklyn heavy Briggs braces for Cuba's Savon Llewellyn Starkes lost the long jump because of an official error. Starkes leaped to about 27-7 on his second jump, enough to give him the gold. But an official By WAYNE COFFEY ruled that Starkes' toe had touched the foul line, voiding the jump.

Sweepers immediately cleared his mark while he went back to argue with the official. After a long look at the line, the official agreed with Starkes, but the mark was gone and Starkes had to settle for an extra jump. They covered up the mark before he said, "You're said Starkes, from Jonesboro, La. Starkes wound up winning a silver with a jump of 26-3, shy of the 27-134 winning jump of Jaime Jefferson of Cuba. "I don't want it, because I deserve the gold," Starkes said.

"They know I deserve the gold. Because if I didn't deserve the gold I wouldn't have got the jump over. So they know I deserve the gold. That's why I don't want the silver. If I'd have gotten the silver legitimately, I'd accepted it with Pouha), and I'm telling you, he rocked him.

He's got a great shot at being the Olympic heavyweight" Briggs is 6-4, 195 pounds, with a head full of reddish-brown dreadlocks. The hair is his good luck charm. "It's natural, really," he said. "Just don't comb your hair." He smiled, much as he did when somebody asked if he admired a fellow Brooklynite, Mike Tyson. "For his ability, yes, but not really for his lifestyle," Briggs replied.

Coached by James O'Farrell, Briggs got his start at the Star-rett City Boxing Club, as an alternative to the gangs and violence he saw infesting the neighborhood. "It's up to you really," Briggs said. "You have to be strong enough to say I'm not going to go that route." The boxing route was no picnic at the outset "The first day I pride. I can't do that now. I'm mad." Ernest Hemingway lived here for 22 years, and mem went down (to the gym), I saw guys getting killed, murdered," he said.

"I told my friends, 'I'm never coming back. And then he came back. His first tournament was the -Empire State Games, last summer. His first fight was about 18 -months ago, in Staten Island. Briggs was the last to know.

He thought he would just be working the corner for a friend, but then somebody didn't show, they needed a heavyweight and Briggs got recruited. His uniform consisted of ten- -nis shoes, shorts he borrowed from a 132-pounder and a T-shirt the trainer cut the sleeves off of. Briggs, who has an apartment in Flatbush these days, won the national PAL title in 1990, defeated Pawrel Pyra in a dual meet with Poland earlier this year, before running out of gas after leading John Bray in last month's U.S. Olympic FestivaL He had a very good reason for that having missed training af- ter his mother, Margie, suffered a stroke shortly before the fightT She's recovering nicely now, -Briggs said. Her muscular son, meanwhile, is in Havana, his first time out of the looking to do a few more unex-5 pected things.

v. ories of him remain strong. There's a Hemingway Museum, an area called Hemingway Marina and a rustic little Daily News Sports Writer HAVANA Sometimes things just work out Sometimes you wind up in places you never expect to be. And sometimes the getting there is very fast, indeed. Shannon Briggs used to be the undeclared champion around Atlantic Towers in Brownsville.

That was only a few years ago. Tomorrow, boxing competition at the Pan Am Games commences, and the 19-year-old Briggs is the U.S. heavyweight (201 pounds), ready to tangle with the vaunted Felix Savon of Cuba, the defending world, Goodwill and Pan Am champion. Briggs has had 25 fights. Savon, 24, has had 233, winning 224.

"It's no big deal. I'm not scared at all," Briggs said. "If I had fear, I wouldn't be here. I'm just going to take the fight to him." Edward (Lucky) Vascocu, an assistant U.S. coach, has been working with amateur boxers for 47 years.

Briggs is not terribly polished, but Vascocu likes what he has seen so far. "He moves good, and he's strong," Vascocu said. "He can hit you. He was sparring with our superheavyweight (Samson night spot called La Bodeguita del Media, in Old Havana, neighborhood of impressive Spanish architecture and narrow cobblestone streets. One of Hemingway's favorite haunts (his picture is still on wall), La Bodeguita is where Papa loved to drink mojitas a potent Cuban rum drink.

The place has stucco walls (full of graffiti), old wooden tables (also full of graffiti), little iron lanterns and a ancient wooden bar, with a jumble of pictures and sayings. U.S. baseball team opened by beating the Dominican Check It Out Republic, 6-1, behind Jeff Ware's six-hitter. Dan Melen- dez and Chris Gomez, the last two hitters in the lineup, each had two RBI. "The kids think they can go undefeated," U.S.

coach Ron Polk said. "I don't care about that I TODAY'S TV TNT begins its coverage at 8 p.m. For the complete Pan Am schedule of events, see Page 3. just want to get into the medal round and let the rest take care of itself." Coffey DOLPHIN DOLPHIN DOLPHIN DOLPHIN mrmmT' DOLPHIN mm 1 1 I WE Wli RECONNECT YOUR BEEPER FOR FREE SAKS DAY SERVXE AVAILABLE FREE CHAIN CASE wPURCHASE OF EVERY BEEPER New UNIDE Moron- BpR.2000 NMICRO Mo 1e NLWMKI MEMOCV WVWtATOt OEI.ETE FEATUtf NUMERIC $1G9 onrM aii bpr-2000 yljr 4 Number memory "iTiffi r.1'.?'.9.'!.?!?. io s25 WE WILL RE-CONNECT I.

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