Miami Heat Might Abandon Battle For Juwan Howard

The Miami Heat is considering abandoning its fight to keep Juwan Howard because the team risks severe penalties - including a fine of up to $5 million and a one-year suspension of Coach Pat Riley - if it loses an arbitration hearing to the NBA over its contract with the all-star forward, sources close to the Heat told the Washington Post.

Howard signed a seven-year, $100.8 million contract with the Heat last month. But the NBA last week voided that contract, saying the Heat exceeded the league's salary cap by agreeing to pay Howard $9 million for the 1996-97 season. The league declared Howard a free agent the next day and then cleared the way for the Washington Bullets to re-sign him Monday to a comparable contract.

-- New Jersey signed free-agent forward David Benoit to a one-year, $507,000 contract. The amount is what the Nets had left under the salary cap. Benoit earned $1.2 million last season with the Utah Jazz.

-- Detroit and free-agent Otis Thorpe agreed to a three-year contract believed to be worth $15 million to $20 million.

Horses

Soul of the Matter, who has not run since his narrow defeat to Cigar in the Dubai World Cup, apparently strained suspensory ligaments in his right front leg during a workout and will not race Saturday in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar when Cigar goes for a record 17th straight victory.

Tennis

Andre Agassi, fresh from winning an Olympic gold medal, posted a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 second-round victory over Magnus Larsson of Sweden to open defense of his title at the $2.2 million ATP Championship in Mason, Ohio.

-- Arantxa Sanchez Vicario surrendered only 20 points while beating Nathalie Baudone 6-0, 6-0 in the $1.3 million du Maurier Open in Montreal. Sanchez Vicario is seeded second behind Monica Seles, the defending champion.

Track and field

U.S. Olympic champions Allen Johnson and Randy Barnes won their events at a meet in Sestriere, Italy, but a $150,000 Ferrari Testarosa went unclaimed when no world records were set.

Johnson ran the 110-meter hurdles in 13.25 seconds. Barnes made a winning throw of 71 feet, one-half inch in the shot put.

Meet officials offer a Testarosa for a world record.

Golf

Defending champion Kelli Kuehne beat Virginia Derby-Grimes 3 and 2 and Lisa Educate 2-up to advance to the third round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship in Lincoln, Neb.

Co-medalist Grace Park eliminated Felicia Galindo of Washougal, Clark County, 5 and 3 in the first round and JoJo Robertson 1-up after 21 holes in the second.

Basketball

Former UCLA swingman Marquis Burns will enroll at UC-Riverside in the fall and play his final season of college basketball for the Highlanders, the school announced.

Burns played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to New Mexico State in December 1994.

-- Point guard Charlie Taylor has transferred from Louisville to Middle Tennessee State, Louisville officials announced. Taylor's name was among those that came up in a letter the NCAA sent Louisville last month concerning recruiting violations.

- Seattle Times news services