European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday december 12,1987 the stars and stripes Paga 25 . Cagers gain shape semifinals bulletin shape Belgium Sis Wiesbaden s Troy rus sell scored in Points 1o Lead the United so alas past Spain 3-75 Laic Friday to Advance to saturday s 9 . Championship against Lily. The italians reached the final by beating helium 84-80. D Tom Saunders stuff writer shape Belgium Mannheim s Warren Evans scored 27 Points including a crowd appeasing Dunk Wilh 5 30 left o spark the United Stales Over Belgium 106-87 thursday night at the shape International basketball tournament. Three other americans hit for double figures. Wies Baden s Troy Russell netted 21, 17 in the second half Morris Thompson of Myrtle Beach s.c., scored 15 and Mainz s Kevin Burks had ii. Sam staggers led the belgians Wilh a 29 Points. The . Ended round Robin play Wilh a 3-0 record in group b. Belgium ended at 2-1, the Netherlands finished at 1-2 Ana the United kingdom 0-3. The Netherlands beat the . T4-68 thursday. The dutch will play for fifth place at .1 . Saturday against in Many which ripped the . 111-5.1 in Friday s first game. Winners of Friday s .-Spain and Italy to Gium matches meet at v . Saturday Tor the title. The users play at 7 . For think place. Against Belgium the americans applied Mati to Inan defensive coverage to Lake away Hie outside scoring of i9h5 tourney most valuable player Donny Bayer. Although allowing Bayer to hit 26 Points 5 by three Points buckets . Coach Hob Abbott a com Puter analyst at the Safe morale welfare and recreation office said the defense worked As programmed. We stopped no. Bayer. We had to take away his outside game said Abbott. He s Bayerl the key to the belgian offence. He pushes Downe ourt As fast As any guard i be seen. Overall we played excellent  offensively Abbott had his players Lake advantage of a belgian weakness foul trouble. We took advantage of their weak spot. We went i on a against i hair players in foul trouble. Any player Wilh four fouls can t play As Light a defense As they d like Abbott said. And most dines you can foul them out Belgium finished Wilh 2.1 fouls kid stuff compared in tin americans local of .11. Which the belgians ddn l use to heir Benefit. In the first half the referees whistled ii Way for 22 fouls against the . And 10 against Belgium. The 2 no ratio prompted Hahnn in Lake a shot at the of i dating by saying at halftime. We can t worry about playing against seven Guys. We re going straight at it. If we lose because we foul out. Then Well lose  the americans pulled away from the belgians in 10 30 of the second half. I vans canned in free throws and look in a pass from Rhein main s Butch Waikins foralayuplobuilda77- i7 Lead. With the crowd Ahing at every breakaway and pleading fora slam Evans finally produced at the 5 30 Mark taking a pass from Burks who stole the Ball at mid court from Bayer. Belgium came out afire in the first half. Wearing Bright yellow uniforms thai appeared hot in the to Ivy. Belgium took a 16-12 Lead 5 minutes into the game but Thompson roped four liners and four Charity guises and Evans hit five from the Field including a three Point or to give the . A 50-38 Hall time Lead. Searches for flaws in the cornerback Rice striving for nil receiving Marks by Steve wilste1n san Francisco a Jerry Rice watches videotapes of the san Francisco 49crs opponents with the greed and in Tensity of a Masler thief studying a Bank s blueprints and Security system. Three shy of the nil record for touch Down catches in a season and with a Chance to lie another record if he catches a touch Down pass in an 11 the straight game Rice is plotting his strategy for the Chicago bears on monday  likes what he sees. The wide receiver s eyes Are on the cornerback the cops he has to get past searching for Haws he can exploit with his deceptive Speed and an array of fakes to add to his Booty of 15 touchdowns. They like to play a lot of Man to Man he says a Sweet look of larceny on his face As if this might be easy pickings. I feel can really beat Man to Man. If they give me an Opportunity like Hal i la just have to Lake advantage of  Rice does t know the names of All the players hell face and he does t much care. He does t read scouting reports on Ihm. Instead he plays the tapes Over and Over watching the feet hips and eyes of the defensive backs memorizing their moves and styles. The main thing i m looking at is the weaknesses of the defensive Back he says How Good can he come out of his backpedal does he like to play inside or outside docs he like to guess and How aggressive is he Rice in Only his third season is Young enough and fast enough to take his 4.4 for-Lhe-40 Speed for granted. Defensive backs can t afford that luxury As some have discovered to their dismal. People underestimate m Speed Rice says. I feel i can run by any defensive Back if break Down his Cushion. I guess because i take real Long strides once i get up on him it s too late. He says oops and it s too  lots of backs have been saying oops this year. Rice a Long legged and sturdy 6-foot 2, 200-Pounder, has caught three touch Down passes in a game twice and Al least one in every  three games to go. Three missed during the so Rick and one cancelled he is within three touchdowns of the nil sea son record set by Miami s Mark Clayton in 1984.clayton played in 15 games that year Rice has been in nine so far catching 5u passes for 855 Yards despite a nagging left knee sprain suffered in the Tirol 81 what makes Jerry run Why is he so successful sheer Speed is not the answer although Green Bay coach Forrest Gregg com p photo j9ers Jerry Rice. Needs 3 to catches Inen led after Rice s 57-Yard touchdown last week our safety could t have caught Rice unless he had jets in his  Rice believes his main strengths arc his first five Quick Steps coming off the scrimmage line and his ability to accelerate suddenly. Once i get inside the defensive Back i be got that extra burst to make the separation he say. San Francisco safely Ronnie loll says other receivers and backs May be faster in timed Springli but nobody outruns Jerry in a  sports sociologist Harry Edwards a 49er consultant says Rice is capitalizing on an unbeatable  he has outstanding ability combined with a tremendously competitive Atti Lude and a willingness to work hard1 ? and a great organi Ricc also has the ability to learn quickly from mistakes Edwards says noting How Rice like Joe Montana tends to dwell after a game on the things he did t do  Jerry does what a number of really outstanding Al lies Here do. Is be come very astute students of what s Hap pening 10 Elliern during a game and then seek to Correct those things that they re not particularly pleased with Edwards said. A key part of the organisation behind Rice is Montana. It usually takes a great quarterback to make a great wide receiver. Clayton had Dan Marino. Rice has  have that special chemistry Rice says. I know exactly where Joe is going to put the Ball and i try 10 run to Hal spot. Hut some plays Don t really work like you practice them. So we have to use our imaginations. So far every thing has been falling in  Montana says the 49crs sometimes have a hard time playing up to Rice s level. He s got a million moves and he Al ways seems to find a Way to gel open Montana says. All i have to do is get the Ball to him. Nobody can Slop him on on on and most teams can t Slop him iwo or  Bay coach Ray Perkins commented Afler Rice s Ihrck touchdown game against the bucs a few weeks ago that the 25-year-old is the tallest fast est toughest quickest and most durable receiver in  part of the 49er organization so critical to Rice s Success is coach Bill Walsh who designs plays la isolate him or open up other receivers when he is double and triple Learned. Rice says he s shocked by his touch Down Pace which is ahead of his Superb second season when he had 15 in 16 games. Walsh is less  s More sophisticated More skilled and he has a belter understand ing of All the things he s confronted with Walsh  sees room for improvement in his Overall game saying his biggest weak Nesses Are his blocking and ability to read defences. He rarely blocked and did t Many complicated defences while playing Al tiny Mississippi Valley stale before the 49ers drafted him in the first round of 1985.when he improves those skills he says. Ill be a Complete  that May sound like a perfectionist talking but the scholarly Edward docs i think  s just Ira ing to live up to the full potential he is so acutely conscious of Edwards says. "1 think Jerry Rice is going to gel better and better. The Only iwo things Hal he has going against him Are the biological clock and the Lotc Lial in this game for injury. It s a frightening thought bul he May be six or seven years away from his  Figini nips Wolf to win in downhill Leuker bad Switzerland a Michela Figini of Switzer land skied to her first Victory of the season in a women s world cup downhill Friday holding off a Lough austrian Challenge led by runner up Sigrid Wolf Figini started first and finished in 1 minute 50.52 seconds Over the Tough course whose 2.575 meter length proved exhausting for the racers. Wolf Winner of the sea son s first super Gal a Estrere. Italy picked up time on the lower part of the course but finished 12 hundredths Ofa second behind. Brigitte Oertli of Switzerland was third in 1 50.91. She edged Elisabeth Kirchler of Austria into found place by Ihrcke hundredths of a second. Laurie Graham of Canada a Veteran in her ninth world cup season placed fifth in 1 51.44, nearly i second behind Figini. Another austrian Sylvia Eder. Took seventh place in the Winter s debut race in Switzerland. Figini s Triumph in the season s third downhill Kepi up a Swiss winning Streak in the discipline after victories by Maria Walliser and Little known Chan Al Bournes sen last week at Val d a scr. Walliser the downhill world Champion and last season s Overall world cup Winner appeared to go easy after bruising her neck and shoulders in a crash on the course s treacherous bumps in final practice thursday. She finished sixth 0.98 second slower than her perennial team rival Figini. Switzerland s Zoe Haas fastest in thursday s training failed 10 finish after taking a spill in the Middle of the course hut was re ported uninjured. Afri sports television College basketball a Alwille to Kentucky 7 30 . Saturday or. John s at Urcla 1 �.m. Sunday delayed. Radio Culles basketball St. John s Al l Cla 8 to . Siluria Tennessee Al Southern California Midnight saturday