Texas Tech University Athletics
USA Women Clinch Gold Medal Game Berth
August 17, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 17, 2005
IZMIR, Turkey - Sparked by a 20-0 second quarter run, the 2005 USA Women's World University Games Team clinched a gold medal game berth with an impressive 118-67 win over Russia on Wednesday in Izmir, Turkey. Guaranteed at least a silver medal, the U.S. will face Serbia & Montenegro, who defeated Australia 70-57 in the day's other semifinal, for the gold at 5:15 p.m. on Friday.
Texas Tech's Erin Grant finished with four points, six rebounds and an assist in help the USA advance to the gold medal game.
College teammates Sylvia Fowles (LSU / Miami, Fla.) and Seimone Augustus (LSU / Baton Rouge, La.) led the Americans with 25 and 18 points, respectively, including a combined 30 points in the first half. Augustus also dished out all over her team-high five assists in the first 20 minutes.
The scored remained tight early, as both teams traded baskets from the opening tip. Augustus had her hand in the U.S.'s first six baskets with three jumpers and three assists to knot the score at 12-12 with 6:28 left in the first quarter. Russia responded 13 seconds later with a jumper by Kesenia Kolosovskaya but the Americans reeled off an 11-0 run over the next 2:40 to give the Americans a 23-14 advantage with 3:11 remaining on the clock in the opening frame.
Augustus hit a jumper after Russia made two free throws but a layup by Yulia Koroleva started a 12-0 run to give Russia a slight 26-25 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter. Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers / Chicago, Ill.) tied the score at 26-26 with 8.6 seconds left in the first stanza after making 1-2 free throws, a score that held up at the end of one.
"Our game plan was to pack it in and make them shoot from the outside to stop their penetration and stop their low post game," said USA and Harvard University (Mass.) head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "Ironically, they hit their first five or six outside shots. But credit this team's belief in our system and in the scouting report. They didn't panic and they made the adjustments they needed to make."
Fowles opened scoring in 28 seconds in to the second quarter after grabbing an offensive rebound and making the putback to give the U.S. a 28-26 advantage. Fowles and Augustus struck again when Fowles grabbed an offensive board and made a three-point play and Augustus hit a jumper at the 7:06 mark in the second quarter for a three-point, 33-30 American advantage.
After two Russian free throws, Augustus found Liz Shimek (Michigan State / Empire, Mich.) for a jumper with 6:30 left in the first half to ignite a 20-0 U.S. run that gave the red, white and blue a 50-30 lead with 26 seconds left in the. The run was highlighted by a behind the back pass from Augustus to Fowles for an easy layup and saw six different Americans score. Russia ended its 6:32 scoring drought when Lydmila Sapova hit a jumper with eight seconds remaining to close out first half scoring.
"If I was scouting us and saw that combo, I don't know what I would do," said Delaney-Smith, referring to Augustus and Fowles. "They're both phenomenal players. They're truly amongst the finest, if not the best players in the country. They're both so unselfish and team oriented, which makes them all that much more refreshing and in fact, better."
"I wanted to get out there and dominate and get us one step closer to winning the gold," said Fowles. "I just went out there and did what the coaches asked me to do."
Sapova hit a jumper to open scoring in the second half but Monique Currie (Duke / Washington, D.C.) responded with a layup after corralling an offensive rebound with 8:17 left in the third quarter to give the U.S. a 52-32 lead. The American lead continued to grow as Pondexter scored four-straight points followed by baskets from Fowles and Lisa Willis (UCLA / Long Beach, Calif.) for a 60-36 advantage with 5:03 remaining in the third frame. The quarter ended with the Americans holding a 73-50 edge and on their way to the gold medal game.
"It's surreal to me," said Delaney-Smith of playing for a gold medal. "It's more exciting than you even anticipate. I just love the unselfish play of the team and I think that equals gold, so hopefully I'm right.
Also in double figures for the U.S. were Willis with 13 points and Candice Dupree (Temple / Tampa, Fla.) and Pondexter with 10 apiece. Shimek nabbed a team-high five steals to go along with her seven rebounds and six points.
Russia was led Koroleva, who had 20 points and Sapova and Natalia Vedlya, who both notched 12 points.
In its six games, the U.S. has scored 100.8 ppg., outscored its opponents by 46.3 ppg. and dominated the battle of the boards with a plus-26.9 margin. Additionally, the Americans have shot a stellar 56.6 (259-458) percent from the floor.
Courtesy of USA Basketball - for a complete box score, log onto www.usabasketball.com
