BRIEFLY NCAA PRESIDENT LAUDS VANDERBILT.

Byline: - Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Vanderbilt's coaches were stunned. NCAA president Myles Brand was pleased.

Chancellor Gordon Gee caught everyone by surprise with his plan to eliminate the school's athletic department and merge Division I sports with intramural programs - and he landed an endorsement Wednesday from Brand.

Vanderbilt football coach Bobby Johnson also came out in favor of the bold move, and Mississippi State's Jackie Sherrill predicted other colleges will follow to save money.

``It is a major shift in the collegiate sports culture. It will be a model for how to embed the operations that have been isolated from the university with similar functions throughout the campus,'' Brand said.

BASKETBALL: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker's 18 points led France past Russia 76-69 in the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championship in Stockholm, Sweden.

HOCKEY: The oldest player in the NHL will play one final season: Igor Larionov, 42, signed with the New Jersey Devils.

FOOTBALL: Avengers offensive specialist Chris Jackson was signed by the Green Bay Packers.

TENNIS: The ``Battle of the Sexes'' will be back on TV. The match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs will be shown by the Tennis Channel at 8 p.m. Sept. 20 - the 30th anniversary of the exhibition at the Houston Astrodome.

SOCCER: Brazil moved into first place in South American qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, beating Ecuador 1-0 as Ronaldino scored in the 13th minute in Manaus, Brazil.

MOTOR SPORTS: CART reached an agreement to sell its stock to the newly formed Open Wheel Racing Series LLC for 56 cents a share. The group's purchase offer is far less than what CART shares have been trading for on the New York Stock Exchange.