May and Walsh Continue Streak With World Title Win

Americans Misty May and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive title at the Beach Volleyball World Championships on Saturday in Berlin, defeating top-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca in the final.

The reigning Olympic and world champions defeated the Brazilian pair, 21-17, 21-17.

Apart from two forfeit losses at the last worlds in Brazil, when May injured an abdominal muscle, the Americans haven’t lost an international match since July 2003.

The win marked the American pair’s 16th international title in 22 finals. They are 186-27 since teaming up in 2001.

Felisberta Silva blocked May in the first set to go up 10-8, and the Brazilians held a 17-15 lead before the Americans finally took over.

In the bronze-medal match, China’s Wang Fei and Tian Jia beat Cuba’s Dalixia Fernandez Grasset and Tamara Larrea Peraza, 21-13, 21-17, to give China its first world championship medal.

On the men’s side, 13th-seeded Germans Julius Brink and Kjell Schneider reached the semifinals with a 21-15, 13-21, 15-10 win over 17th-seeded Kristjan Kais and Rivo Vesik of Estonia.

Another German duo, Marvin Polte and Thorsten Schoen, won 21-19, 21-17 over Francisco Alvarez and Oney Ramirez Bernal of Cuba.

Pro Basketball

Nykesha Sales scored 22 points and Lindsay Whalen a career-high 20 to lead Connecticut (10-2) to a 77-69 WNBA win at Phoenix.

The Sun, which won three of four on a six-day trip, made nine of 10 free throws in the final 8:33 after Diana Taurasi had tied the score, 49-49, with a three-point basket. Taurasi led all scorers with 28.

Phoenix (3-10) has lost five of its last six games and fell into a tie for last place in the Western Conference with San Antonio.

Sheryl Swoopes scored 15 points and led the Houston Comets to a 62-44 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars in Houston.

Michelle Snow added 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, helping the Comets improve to 3-0 this season against the struggling Silver Stars (3-11).

Janeth Arcain made four of her 12 shots and was six for six from the free-throw line, finishing with 14 points for the Comets.

Houston (6-5) has won back-to-back games, both over San Antonio, for the first time since taking two in a row May 29 and June 4.

Dawn Staley scored 16 points, including two free throws with 14.3 seconds left, to help the Charlotte Sting end a six-game losing streak with a 67-61 win at home over the New York Liberty.

Tammy Sutton-Brown added 16 points and eight rebounds, Tangela Smith scored 16 points and Staley finished with eight assists for the Sting (2-9), which shot 51% and avoided matching the worst start in team history.

Shameka Christon scored a career-high 19 points and Ann Wauters added 16 points for the Liberty (5-5), who had won three in a row.

The NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats have picked up the $5-million option on Emeka Okafor’s contract, keeping the reigning rookie of the year through at least the 2007-08 season.

Miscellany

Former Dodger pitcher Rick Rhoden led after two rounds of the Mario Lemieux Celebrity golf invitational in Presto, Pa. Rhoden had a plus-24 on the scoring system for a one-point lead over former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.