BRIEFLY : MCCARTHY REPLACED BY HENSON.

Neil McCarthy was stripped of all coaching duties by New Mexico State on Thursday, accused of overemphasizing victories at the expense of academics.

McCarthy, 56, who won a school-record 248 games in his 12 seasons, will be replaced by former New Mexico State and Illinois coach Lou Henson.

Henson will coach one season only and will help pick McCarthy's successor, athletic director Jim Paul said, adding Henson agreed to serve on an unpaid basis.

Paul said McCarthy's reassignment as an assistant athletic director came because of concerns over his lack of cooperation, inability to improve the program's public image and unspecified breaches of contract.

He said McCarthy was placed on paid administrative leave until Nov. 1.

NBA: Ray Allen scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Clippers 109-97 in an exhibition game at La Crosse, Wis.

The Clippers, who have lost three of four, were led by Eric Piatkowski with 17 points and Lorenzen Wright with 15. Lamond Murray added 13.

GOLF: The United States edged Argentina 2-1 in the Dunhill Cup when Eduardo Romero hit his approach shot on the first extra hole against Mark O'Meara into the deep rough to give the U.S. team the victory in St. Andrews, Scotland.

England swept Japan 3-0 in another Group 1 match on the Old Course and, in Group 3 play, South Africa edged Ireland 2-1 and Scotland defeated Germany 2-1.

The U.S. team is grouped with England, Argentina and Japan in the 16-nation competition that has a total prize money of $1.6 million. The winner of the four groups of round-robin medal play will meet in the semifinals and finals on Sunday.

No one knows what it takes to win the Disney Golf Classic better than Payne Stewart, whose 8-under-par 64 gave him the first-round lead at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Stewart, who has a win and four top-5 finishes in the event, holed a 25-foot eagle putt on No. 1 and gave himself enough birdie chances to take a one-stroke lead over David Duval and Frank Lickliter. Another stroke back was defending champion Tiger Woods.

Juli Inkster and Australia's Karrie Webb shot 5-under-par 67s to share the first-round lead in the Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf in Seoul, Korea.

NFL: San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield has been arrested for investigation of drunken driving.

The California Highway Patrol took Stubblefield, 26, into custody just after 11 p.m. Sunday on Highway 101 in Redwood City.

Officers said they observed his car - a 1997 Mercedes Benz - speeding and driving in the highway's median strip. When he was pulled over, he ``displayed objective symptoms of alcohol intoxication'' and failed sobriety tests, according to a CHP report.

Stubblefield was booked and held for several hours before being released early Monday.

SOCCER: Major League Soccer is going to network television next year.

The league, completing its second season, signed a six-year contract with ABC and ESPN. The contract pays at least $5 million next year and could increase in subsequent years depending on advertising revenue.

TENNIS: It was a good day for the Americans as fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Lisa Raymond all advanced to the quarterfinals of the $926,250 European Indoor Championships in Zurich, Switzerland.

While both Davenport and Williams were catapulted through the second round because of injured opponents, Raymond produced a gritty 7-5, 6-3 upset win over fifth-seeded Amanda Coetzer to earn her place in the final eight.