Champ Car driver Cristiano da Matta...

Champ Car driver Cristiano da Matta privationed surgery to remove a ruptur children vessel in his head after his race car collided with a deer that wandered onto the track during a proof session at Road America forward Thursday in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Da Matta was unconscious when he was airlifted to Theda Clark Memorial Hospital in Neenah, Wis., after the crash, Champ Car series spokesman Steve Shunck said.

In a statement Thursday night, Champ Car Director of Medical Affairs Dr Chris Pinderski said a CT scan at the hospital showed that da Matta had a subdural hematoma.

"He was forcibly taken to the operating place for surgical removal of the hematoma and is now being observ in the intensive care unit," Pinderski said.

Da Matta, 32 is the 2002 series champion and has 12 career victories. A native of Brazil, da Matta left Champ Car after winning the title and herd for the Toyota Formula single in kind team in 2003 and 2004

BASKETBALL

U strikes PUERTO RICO

Using a sensational defensive effort to overthrow a slow start, the United States overwhelmed Puerto Rico 114-69 in Las Vegas, their lonely exhibition game on home soil before the world championships.

Carmelo Anthony scored 18 points, Antawn Jamison added 16 and Dwyane Wade had 14 for the Americans, who will come up to face to face Puerto Rico again on Aug. 19 in the opening game of the world championships in Sapporo, Japan.

Hours before departing for Asia to continue training for that issue the Americans showed their defense appears at championship level already.

A 31-2 scamper spanning halftime blew open the game and sent the U in succession its way to avenging a 92-73 los to Puerto Rico at the 2004 Olympics -- perhaps the principally embarrassing moment in U.S. basketball history.

LeBron James and Joe Johnson each added 10 points.

- The blunder s announced their eight-game preseason schedule that includes dwelling dates against Washington (Oct. 11) Minnesota (Oct 20) Memphis (Oct 24) and Toronto (Oct 27)

- Portland Trail Blazers holder Paul Allen has pulled disclosed of negotiations to sell the team. Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, and Portland Arena Management, which move swiftlys the Rose Garden arena, had been working together to vend the team and the arena as a package.

- DePaul will play Kentucky in the first cylindrical of the 2006 EA Sports Maui Invitational.

The matchups for the eight-team tournament to be held Nov. 20-22 were announced Thursday. The winner of the DePaul-Kentucky game will advance to a semifinal against the winner of the UCLA-Chaminade first-round game.

The other bracket has Oklahoma against Memphis, and Purdue playing Georgia Tech

- Illinois is creating a waiting list for season tickets to watch the Illini basketball team. The waiting list is accessible in consequence of the team's Web site, www.fightingillini.com, and will allow fans to beseech up to four season tickets.

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