Florida's Milton Gives Abl Edge In Signings

University of Florida forward DeLisha Milton announced she will play professionally in the American Basketball League.

Her decision yesterday gave the ABL a 4-2 lead over the Women's National Basketball Association in the race to sign the top 12 college seniors.

The ABL has signed Kate Starbird of Stanford, Shalonda Enis of Alabama and Kedra Holland-Corn of Georgia. The WNBA has signed Jamila Wideman of Stanford and Tamecka Dixon of Kansas.

-- Heidi VanDerveer resigned as women's basketball coach at Eastern Washington to become an assistant with the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA. Jocelyn Pfeifer, an assistant at EWU for four seasons, was appointed interim head coach at the Cheney school.

-- North Carolina's women's team lost guard Marion Jones, who plans to graduate with her class next month and give up her final year of eligibility to pursue a professional career in track and field.

-- Miles Simon, a junior guard and the NCAA Final Four MVP, will return to Arizona rather than enter the NBA draft.

-- Elmer Bennett scored 25 points as the Oklahoma City Cavalry won its first CBA championship, beating the Florida Beachdogs 92-82 in Game 6 of the finals in West Palm Beach, Fla.

-- David Rivers scored 26 points as Olympiakos of Piraeus beat Barcelona 73-58 in Rome for its first European club basketball championship.

FOOTBALL

-- Darrell Green, 37, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback, agreed to return to Washington under terms of a new contract that ensures he will play his entire pro career with that team. The five-year, $12.5 million deal includes a $2 million signing bonus and a $1.2 million salary for 1997.

-- Eric Turner, a safety who had five interceptions last season for Baltimore, signed a four-year contract with the Oakland Raiders.

-- The San Diego Chargers agreed to a one-year contract with Aaron Craver, Denver's starting fullback the past two seasons.

SOCCER

The Seattle SeaDogs chose Carlos Zavala with the No. 2 pick in the Continental Indoor Soccer League draft. Zavala was the leading scorer this past spring with the Tampa Bay Terror of the NPSL with 84 points. The SeaDogs also drafted midfielder/forward Tom Bialek, defender James Dunn, midfielder Brian Haynes and midfielder/defender John Molet.

-- Shannon MacMillan got a goal and an assist and Robin Confer, Tisha Venturini and Kristine Lilly scored goals as the U.S. beat France 4-2 in Greensboro, N.C., the opening match of a six-game Victory Tour.

HORSE RACING

Kentucky Derby hopeful Accelerator suffered a fracture in his left front leg in a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville today and was taken to Lexington for surgery.

The loss further reduced an already small Kentucky Derby field to about a dozen 3-year-olds.

TENNIS

Top-seeded Michael Chang narrowly averted an upset in beating little-known Juan Albert Viloca of Spain 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5 at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

-- Fourth-seeded Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands defeating Mark Philippoussis of Australia 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Open in Monaco.

COLLEGES

Bill McArthur, former Western Oregon University football coach, died yesterday in Salem, Ore. He was 78. McArthur posted a 180-124-6 record in 36 seasons as the Wolves' head coach.