BRIEFLY : SUSPENSIONS DEALT TO IVERSON, RIDER.

The Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson and the Portland Trail Blazers' Isaiah Rider were suspended by the NBA on Friday for improper off-the-court behavior.

Iverson, who was Rookie of the Year last season, was suspended from this year's regular-season opener because he pleaded no contest to a weapons charge in Virginia.

Rider was suspended for the first two games of the season because of his no-contest plea in California to possession of illegal cellular phones and his conviction in Oregon for possession of marijuana.

Rider's agent, Arn Tellem, called the suspensions ``nothing more than grandstanding on the part of the NBA'' and said a grievance would be filed immediately.

GOLF: Hal Sutton and Davis Love III shot 7-under 65s to share the lead halfway through the PGA's $1.2 million Buick Challenge at Pine Mountain, Ga.

Steve Pate shot a 65 to move to 11-under-par, one stroke behind Love and Sutton, while Stewart Cink had the low round for the day at 64 - putting him at 10-under for the tournament.

Hale Irwin, playing with a sore right shoulder, birdied the first three holes on the back nine in the Vantage Championship at Clemons, N.C., then finished strongly for an opening-round 7-under-par 64 and a one-shot lead over Senior PGA Tour rookie Jose Maria Canizares, a four-time European Ryder Cup member.

Dale Eggeling fired a 7-under-par 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA's Betsy King Classic at Kutztown, Pa.

BASEBALL: Kevin Nykoluk, former Simi Valley High School and Moorpark College hitting star, signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and will report Sunday to an instructional league in Florida. ``He can hit,'' said Cardinals scout Chuck Fick, who signed Nykoluk as a non-drafted free agent. ``I think he was overlooked.''

Nykoluk, 22, was signed as a catcher, a position he played at Simi Valley, Moorpark, Seminole JC in Oklahoma and at Miami.

ALSO: Washington Capitals goaltender Bill Ranford will miss at least a week with a groin injury suffered in Wednesday's NHL season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. . . .

SOCCER: Jamaica stunned the United States with a 1-1 tie in a World Cup qualifier at Washington. Eric Wynalda put the U.S. (2-1-4) ahead with a penalty kick in the three minutes into the second half. But Jamaica's Deon Burton tied the score two minutes later after a defensive misplay by Jeff Agoos. The Americans are third with 10 points in the six-team final round of qualifying from soccer's North and Central American region, which will send three teams to next summer's 32-nation tournament in France.

Gordie Howe, 69, skated the first shift with the Detroit Vipers in their International Hockey League opener in Auburn Hills, Mich., becoming the only professional in his sport to compete in six decades. . . .