Northridge Football Coach Fired

Basketball

In one of the closer games the U.S. has played with a roster of NBA players, the Americans defeated Canada, 94-60, in the first round of their Olympic qualifying tournament at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Gary Payton scored 20 points to lead the Americans in scoring for the second consecutive game. Tim Duncan scored 18, Kevin Garnett had 15 and Jason Kidd had 11 assists.

Sheryl Swoopes scored a career-high 33 points and Cynthia Cooper had 22 as the Houston Comets rallied in regulation, then defeated the Utah Starzz in overtime, 88-84, in a WNBA game before 6,702 in Salt Lake City. . . . Jennifer Azzi scored 16 points, 11 in the second half, to help the Detroit Shock to a 78-68 WNBA victory over the Washington Mystics before 13,600 at Washington. . . . Yolanda Griffith scored 22 points and added 13 rebounds as the Sacramento Monarchs defeated the Cleveland Rockers, 85-71, before 9,943 at Cleveland. . . . Dawn Staley scored 23 points to lead the visiting Charlotte Sting past the Orlando Miracle, 56-50, before 8,826.

Luke Recker, a former Indiana star who transferred to Arizona after last season, was released from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after undergoing orthopedic surgery on his left wrist.

The injury was one of several Recker suffered last Saturday when the vehicle he was in was involved in a three-car crash outside Durango, Colo.

Boxing

David Reid got up from fifth-round knockdown and went on to retain the World Boxing Assn. super-welterweight championship on a unanimous decision over Australia’s Kevin Kelly at Atlantic City, N.J.

While Reid, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist, remained unbeaten in 13 pro fights, he was less than impressive and at times looked amateurish. When the decision was announced, it was booed by many of the 1,967 fans.

“He was very game in the ring,” Reid said of Kelly (24-6-3). “He was very tricky in the ring.”

Pro Football

Leonard Little, the St. Louis Ram linebacker who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a drunk-driving wreck that killed a woman, was suspended without pay by the NFL for the first eight games of the upcoming season.

The San Francisco 49ers bought some insurance in case running back Garrison Hearst can’t play this year, signing free-agent tailback Charlie Garner to a two-year contract. . . . Owners Wayne Weaver of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Alfred Lerner of the Cleveland Browns have filed applications to buy Arena Football League expansion teams, spokesmen said. . . . The New York Jets signed their top draft pick, guard Randy Thomas of Mississippi State, to a four-year contract. . . . The Washington Redskins’ new owner, Daniel M. Snyder, fired approximately 25 of the team’s front-office employees, mostly in the stadium operations, public relations and marketing departments.

Miscellany

Scottish driver Dario Franchitti, winner of the last two Molson Indy poles, was the fastest driver in provisional qualifying for Sunday’s CART FedEx series race at Toronto. . . . Billy Boat won his first Indy Racing League pole of the year, posting a speed of 215.251 mph for the Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500 tonight at Hampton, Ga.

The Detroit Red Wings signed free-agent goaltender Manny Legace to a multiyear contract. Legace, 26, had a 2-9-2 record with a 2.60 goals-against average in 17 games with the Kings last season. . . . The Washington Capitals acquired goaltender Craig Billington from the Colorado Avalanche for future considerations. . . . The Ottawa Senators re-signed restricted free-agent center Vaclav Prospal to a multiyear contract.

The A&P; Tennis Classic, which had already lost Jana Novotna and Steffi Graf, officially struck out with its headline attractions as Amanda Coetzer took advantage of Anna Kournikova’s serve and defeated the Russian teenager, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinal at Mahwah, N.J.

Pepperdine Coach Terry Schroeder, who was captain of the U.S. national team from 1983 to 1992, will be one of 14 inductees into the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame tonight at the Doubletree Hotel in Irvine.

The Galaxy will host Mexican power Chivas on Aug. 4 in an exhibition soccer game at the Rose Bowl.