SPRINGFIELD, Ill., July 18 (UPI) -- Michelle Wie stormed into contention at the State Farm Classic Friday in a bid to claim the first win of her LPGA career.

Christina Kim fired a 68 to maintain a one-shot lead at 13-under 131, but Wie shot a 65 to move into a tie for second with Yani Tseng (66), Sherri Turner (66) and Ji-Young Oh (66) at 132.

The 65 was Wie's best round as a professional. She eagled a par-4 hole for the second straight day and has made only two bogeys in the tournament.

"It helps to have a good bounce here and there," Wie said. "But overall, I felt like my game was pretty solid."

Defending champion Sherri Steinhauer (71) missed the cut with her two-day total of 2-over 146.

Nowitzki one win away from Olympics

ATHENS, Greece, July 18 (UPI) -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points Friday, helping Germany move within one victory of an Olympic berth, in a 78-65 qualifying win over Brazil.

Germany joined Croatia, Puerto Rico and Greece as quarterfinal winners in a tournament that will determine the final three entrants in the men's Olympic basketball competition. Three of those teams will play in the Olympic tourney, which begins Aug. 10 in Beijing.

Croatia reached the semifinals with an 83-62 win over Canada. Puerto Rico downed Slovenia 81-70 and Greece blasted New Zealand 75-48.

Germany will play Croatia in Saturday's semifinals and Puerto Rico will meet Greece. The winners will advance to the Olympics and the losers will play Sunday to determine the final qualifier.

Nowitzki paced the Germans to a 45-26 halftime lead and then sat out much of the second half.

The other nine teams in the 12-nation Olympic basketball bracket have already been determined. The United States will take part in a preliminary group with Angola, China and Spain. Two of the qualifiers from the tournament in Athens will be added to that group.

China cracks down on Beijing night spots

BEIJING, July 18 (UPI) -- The Chinese government has been cracking down on Beijing bars and nightclubs in advance of the Summer Olympics.

Some night spots have been closed, at least temporarily.

Other bar owners in the Sanlitun district have been told to promise they will keep blacks and Mongolians out for the duration of the games, The Age of Australia reports. Mongolians have the reputation in China of being involved in drugs and prostitution.

A gay bar, Destination, has been ordered to close its dance floor.

Six bars and restaurants in the Beijing Workers Stadium, the venue for Olympic soccer, have been ordered to close until the games end, the report said.

Businesses in the central city report that security restrictions on courier shipments have become far more stringent. CD-ROMs cannot be shipped and cell phones can only be shipped if the phones and batteries are sent separately.

The government had already imposed a ban on vehicles not registered in Beijing, a move enforced by armed guards at checkpoints.

Sprinter loses appeal on doping ban

LONDON, July 18 (UPI) -- Disgraced British sprinter Dwain Chambers, accused of doping, lost his appeal Friday to compete in the Beijing Olympic games.

Chambers, a 100-meter specialist, was accused of violating the British Olympic Association's bylaw, which institutes a lifetime ban on any athletes accused of doping.

He claimed the ban represented a restraint of trade but high court Judge Colin Mckay Friday rejected Chambers' attempt to overturn the BOA rule.

Chambers, who won the 100 meters sprint at last Saturday's British trials in 10 seconds, finished a two-year ban in 2006. Three years earlier, he tested positive for the designed drug THG.

A second appeal is unlikely because the International Olympic Committee's deadline for submitting team rosters is this weekend.

"Many people would see this bylaw as unlawful," Mckay told the BBC. "In my judgment it would take a much better case than the claimant has presented to persuade me to overturn the status quo at this stage and compel his selection."