Australia - China 75-60 Australia handed 75-60 loss to China and advanced to the Semifinals of 2012 Olympic Games in London. There, Australia will meet defending champion USA. Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81), who finished with 12 points, hit a jumper with 3:46 remaining in the game that gave her 536 points - one more than former Brazil star Janeth Arcain. The four-time Olympian's record-breaking basket gave Australia a comfortable 13-point lead. Cambage Elizabeth (203-C-91) scored 17 points for the Australians and Suzy Batkovic-Brown (195-C-80) added 10 points, plus 9 rebounds. Australia and the United States have met in three straight Olympic finals, with the Americans winning the gold each time. Australia failed to win its group and will now have to play the favored Americans one round earlier. The teams met in the semifinals at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where the U.S. won the first its four consecutive gold medals. Ma Zengyu (183-F-84) led China with 15 points. Miao LiJie (178-F-81) scored 13 points and Chen Xiaoli (193-F-82) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 22-16, 13-20, 20-16, 20-8. Semifinals are scheduled for Thursday.
USA - Canada 91-48 USA advanced to the Semifinals of 2012 Olympic Games in London. The Americans turned up the defensive pressure to beat Canada with huge 91-48. Diana Taurasi (183-SG-82, college: Connecticut) led the winners with 15 points and Candace Parker (193-C-86, college: Tennessee) added 12 points, plus 7 rebounds. Sylvia Fowles (198-C-85, college: LSU) also scored 12 points in this meeting. At the other side, Kimberley Smith (186-F-84, college: Utah) responded with 13 points and 6 rebounds in defeat. Chelsea Aubry (188-F-84, college: Nebraska) was their second scorer with 10 pts and Courtnay Pilypaitis (184-G-88, college: Vermont) stopped to 6. USA took control on its rival from he beginning and never looked back. Quarters: 19-8, 23-13, 26-10, 23-17. The Americans held Canada to the fewest points the U.S. has given up in an Olympic quarterfinals since beating Slovakia 58-43 in 2000. The U.S. hasn't lost to Canada since playing in the 1975 world championship tournament. Also, the victory was the 39th straight for the Americans in Olympic play and came 20 years to the day after the win that started the streak - a 88-74 victory over Cuba for the bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games. Semifinals are scheduled for Thursday.
Turkey - Russia 63-66 Russia eliminated Turkey today in the Olympic Games Quarterfinals. This is the third straight Olympics Semis for Russia. The Russians have had to settle for the bronze medal in 2004 and 2008 - falling to the U.S. each time. After finishing third in their pool, the Russians avoided a potential matchup with the Americans until the gold medal game - if both teams advance. Becky Hammon (175-PG-77, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Colorado St.) stepped up for Russia with 19 points and 5 assists. Anna Petrakova (189-PF-84) (7 rebs), Eugeniya Belyakova (182-SF-86) (5 rebs) and Natalia Vieru helped with 10 points each. In the loosing squad, Nevriye Yilmaz (194-C-80) was better than the others with 22 points and 5 rebounds. Birsel Vardarli (6 as) and Quanitra Hollingsworth (196-C-88, college: VCU) netted 12 points each. With the game tied at 62, Becky Hammon got the ball and drove down the lane, scoring with 13 seconds left and drawing the foul. Hammon missed the free throw and Quanitra Hollingsworth got the rebound. Hollingsworth, who became a naturalized Turkish citizen in May, was fouled and made one of two free throws to make it a 1-point game. The Russians couldn't put the game away, hitting only two of its four free throws in the final 12 seconds giving Turkey one last chance, but Birsel Vardarli's 3-pointer from the wing bounced off the rim. Quarters: 16-23, 12-11, 23-17, 12-15. Russia will meet France or Czech Republic in the Semifinals. Both Semifinals games will be played on Thursday. The other pair is USA - Australia.
France - Czech Republic 71-68 Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) scored 23 points and Endene Miyem scored four points down the stretch to send France to the semifinals of the women's Olympic basketball tournament with a 71-68 win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Dumerc hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 65 seconds left to make it 67-65, Miyem grabbed an offensive rebound and scored inside to make it 69-65 with 29 seconds remaining, then sank two free throws to seal the win. France reached its first Olympic women's semifinal after overcoming a 13-point deficit. The French have continued to find ways to win and are 6-0 in the tournament. They beat Australia and Britain in overtime and they topped Canada by just four points in pool play. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) scored 13 of her 17 points in the third quarter, when the Czech Republic led by 13. But Dumerc led the French comeback for a semifinal matchup against Russia on Thursday. Courtesy of www.greenfieldreporter.com
Eurobasket.com All-Olympic Games Awards 2012 - Aug 13, 2012
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MVP: Candace Parker (193-C-86) of USA
Best Guard: Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) of France
Best Forward: Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) of USA
Best Center: Candace Parker (193-C-86) of USA
Best Coach: Geno Auriemma of USA
1st Team
PG: Becky Hammon (175-77) of Russia
G: Celine Dumerc (169-82) of France
F: Eva Viteckova (190-82) of Czech Rep.
F/C: Lauren Jackson (196-81) of Australia
C: [read more]
FINAL
USA - France 86-50
France coach Pierre Vincent said his women's basketball team was carried by magic forces into the gold medal game. To beat the USA on Saturday, France needed more than magic, much more. The U.S. captured its fifth consecutive gold medal with an 86-50 victory against France, extending its Olympic winning streak to 41 games. The last Olympics loss came in the 1992 Barcelona Games [read more]
FINAL
USA - France 86-50 France coach Pierre Vincent said his women's basketball team was carried by magic forces into the gold medal game. To beat the USA on Saturday, France needed more than magic, much more. The U.S. captured its fifth consecutive gold medal with an 86-50 victory against France, extending its Olympic winning streak to 41 games. The last Olympics loss came in the 1992 Barcelona Games. The U.S. is now 58-3 since women's basketball was added to the Olympics program in 1976, an amazing run of dominance. That includes seven gold medals. The U.S. started slow against France, caught up a frenzied pace that yielded turnovers and sloppy play. But in the second quarter, the USA settled into its game, led by Candace Parker (193-C-86, college: Tennessee) who had 15 of game-high 21 points and nine of her 11 game-high rebounds in the first half. Sue Bird (175-PG-80, college: Connecticut) added 11 points and three assists. Diana Taurasi (183-SG-82, college: Connecticut) had nine points and six assists, and Maya Moore (183-SG-89, college: Connecticut) had six points and seven rebounds for the USA. All 12 American players scored. Just Sandrine Gruda (193-C-87) (12 points) reached double figures in scoring for France. The USA ensured it would win gold with a dominating third quarter, outscoring France 26-12 and taking a 63-37 lead into the final 10 minutes. The U.S. put full-court pressure on France, limiting clever point guard Celine Dumerc's ability to effectively run France's offense. The pressure forced France into 26% shooting from the field. Courtesy of www.usatoday.com
Third place
Australia - Russia 83-74 Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) wouldn't let Australia leave the Olympics without a medal. The 6-foot-5 Jackson scored 21 of her 25 points in the second half to help Australia beat Russia 83-74 on Saturday and win the women's basketball bronze medal.It is the fifth straight Olympics that Australia has won a medal. The Australians had won the past three silver medals since winning the bronze in 1996. Russia cut a 38-30 halftime lead to three early in the third quarter before Australia scored 10 straight to take command. Suzy Batkovic-Brown (195-C-80) had a three-point play on a tip-in of a missed shot and Jackson had a putback that made it 48-35 with 5:21 left in the quarter. Australia extended the lead to 15 points on Jackson's basket with 7:21 left in the game before Russia rallied behind Becky Hammon (175-PG-77, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Colorado St.). The Russians cut their deficit to 76-71 with 1:21 left but that's as close as they could get. Hammon scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half to lead Russia, which finished without a medal for the first time in three Olympics. The Australians had the two most memorable moments in women's basketball at the Olympics. Belinda Snell hit a 50-foot heave to send a game into overtime and Cambage Elizabeth (203-C-91) had a dunk against Russia, which might have been the first in Olympic history. Now they have a bronze medal. They would have liked gold, or even silver, but the team were felt very good about the bronze. Australian point guard Kristi Harrower (166-PG-75) finished with 21 points and four assists. The 37-year was playing in her final Olympics. As she dribbled out the final seconds on the clock, her teammates gathered around her, hugging and congratulating her. A few minutes later, they lifted Harrower up on their shoulders so she could be saluted by the fans. Australia came into the London Games off a disappointing fifth place finish at the 2010 world championship. The Australians are missing star guard Penny Taylor, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the EuroLeague finals in April. They lost a pool game to France - the first time they were beaten by a team other than the U.S. in the Olympics since 1996. Winning a medal at this Olympics was something Jackson really wanted. The Australians challenged the U.S. in the semifinals, giving the Americans their first halftime deficit in Olympic play in 12 years. They just ran out of gas in the second half and fell by 13, leaving them playing for the bronze. Trailing 20-19 early in the second quarter, Australia took control behind Harrower and Batkovic. The two sparked a 19-8 run to take control. Batkovic got the burst started with a jumper and had eight points during the spurt. Hammon scored her first basket of the game just before the halftime buzzer to get Russia within eight at the half. Hammon, 35, is playing in her second Olympics for Russia. She became a Russian naturalized citizen before the Beijing Games. Because she hadn't played for the United States in any major FIBA-sanctioned international events, she is allowed to compete for Russia in the Olympics. The 5-foot-6 South Dakota native helped Russia win the bronze medal at the Beijing Games. This is the third straight Olympics that Russia has reached the semifinals, but the team had to settle for the bronze in Athens - falling to the U.S. in 2004 and 2008. Even though she didn't win a medal this Olympics, she had a less stressful experience. Her patriotism was questioned in 2008 when she played with Russia, which won the bronze medal. Russia had won the bronze medal in the past two Olympics and hasn't won a gold medal since 1992 when the country was known as the Unified Team. *Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com
USA and France to fight for the Gold in London - Aug 9, 2012
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Australia - USA 73-86
Facing its first challenge of the Olympics, the U.S. women's basketball team turned up its defensive pressure and turned away Australia. Trailing early in the second half, U [read more]
Australia - USA 73-86 Facing its first challenge of the Olympics, the U.S. women's basketball team turned up its defensive pressure and turned away Australia. Trailing early in the second half, U.S. coach Geno Auriemma turned to his Olympic rookies and the group - led by Tina Charles (193-C-88, agency: LBM Management, college: Connecticut) and Lindsay Whalen (175-PG-82, college: Minnesota) - pressured the Australians into turnovers and bad shots, sparking a pivotal scoring run in the third quarter to help the U.S. beat Australia 86-73 on Thursday. The Americans, playing for a fifth straight gold medal, will meet the winner of the France-Russia semifinal. Australia went right at the U.S. behind 6-foot-8 Cambage Elizabeth (203-C-91), but the Americans' depth and pressure defense wore down another opponent. The Australian's budding star scored 19 points in the first half and Australia led 47-43 at halftime. But the Americans held her scoreless in the second half. The Americans had cruised through their first six games winning by an average of 38 points before facing the No. 2 team in the world in the semifinals - a round earlier than they had met at the past three Olympics. With the U.S trailing 56-55 in the third quarter and star Diana Taurasi (183-SG-82, college: Connecticut) sidelined with four fouls, Auriemma turned to his bench. The reserves responded, sparking the game-changing run. Whalen started the 16-6 burst by scoring the first six points and Seimone Augustus (183-SF-84, college: LSU) chipped in another four to help the Americans build a 65-59 lead at the end of the third quarter. They also cranked up the defensive pressure; Australia shot just 4 of 18 from the field in the third. The U.S. extended its lead to 11 on Charles' two free throws early in the fourth period and Australia could only get within nine the rest of the way. The Americans improved to 7-0 all-time in the Olympics against Australia. Charles and Taurasi each scored 14 for the U.S. Sue Bird finished with 13 points. The Americans have won the last four golds and 40 consecutive Olympic contests dating back to the bronze medal game in 1992. The top two teams in the world had met in the previous three gold medal games with the U.S. coming out on top. This was the first time they had played in the semifinals since 1996. Cambage, making her first appearance in the Olympics, was unstoppable in the first half. She was able to catch the ball close to the basket and the Americans couldn't contain her. She made eight of her 12 shots to give the Australians a four-point lead at the break. Australia shot 61 percent in the first half, but only had nine baskets in the second half. "They started playing zone and that threw us off in the third quarter," said Cambage, who's only shot of the decisive period was a wild 3-pointer with the shot clock running down. Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) finished with 14 points for Australia. A gold medal is one of the only things lacking from Jackson's impressive career. She's won a world championship, two WNBA titles and is the Olympics all-time leading scorer. Yet she's come up just short in her four Olympic appearances against the U.S. The Australians have already had the two most memorable moments in women's basketball at the Olympics. Belinda Snell hit a 50-foot heave to send a game into overtime and Liz Cambage had a dunk against Russia, which might have been the first in Olympic history. For one half, they looked to be on the verge of another unforgettable moment - an upset of the favored Americans. Instead, they ran out of gas. Australia came into the London Games off a disappointing fifth place finish at the 2010 world championship. The Australians are missing star guard Penny Taylor, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the Euro League finals in April. They lost a pool game to France - the first time they were beaten by a team other than the U.S. in the Olympics since 1996. *Courtesy of The Associated Press (via www.wtnh.com)
Russia - France 64-81 Edwige Lawson-Wade (166-PG-79) scored 18 points and Emilie Gomis (180-G/F-83) added 15 to help France rout Russia 81-64 in the women's Olympic basketball semifinals on Thursday. The French will play the U.S. for the gold medal Saturday night in a matchup of the only unbeaten teams in the tournament. France, which is playing in only its second Olympics, is assured of winning its first medal in women's basketball with the semifinals win. While the French found ways to win tight games in the preliminary rounds, they jumped out in front of Russia early -- scoring 10 of the game's first 11 points and never looked back. Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) continued her stellar play for France. She finished with 11 points against Russia and has hit several clutch shots for the French during their impressive Olympic tournament run. Becky Hammon (175-PG-77, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Colorado St.) scored 13 points to lead Russia, which will play Australia for the bronze medal. Courtesy of ESPN
1 De Souza, BRA 16.2 2 Leedham, ENG 16.2 3 Jackson, AUS 15.9 4 Chen, CHN 15.7 5 Stafford, ENG 15.2 6 Viteckova, CZE 15.2 7 Dumerc, FRA 14.3 8 Mandir, CRO 14 9 Smith, CAN 13.8 10 Cambage, AUS
13.6
Rebounds Per Game
1 Dos Santos, BRA 9 2 De Souza, BRA 8.8 3 Jackson, AUS 7.9 4 Parker, USA 7.8 5 Charles, USA 7.3 6 Yilmaz, TUR 7.2 7 Manuel, ANG 7.2 8 Osipova, RUS 6.8 9 Horakova, CZE 6.8 10 Chen, CHN
6.7
Assists Per Game
1 Miao, CHN 6.5 2 Vardarli, TUR 4.5 3 Thorburn, CAN 4.5 4 Bird, USA 4.5 5 Pinto, BRA 4.4 6 Hammon, RUS 4 7 O'Hea, AUS 3.5 8 Dumerc, FRA 3.4 9 Rodrigues, BRA 3.2 10 Lelas, CRO
3.2
Steals Per Game
1 Ivezic, CRO 2.8 2 McCoughtry, USA 2.5 3 Leedham, ENG 2.4 4 Horakova, CZE 2 5 Alben, TUR 1.8 6 Catchings, USA 1.6 7 Dumerc, FRA 1.6 8 Moore, USA 1.5 9 Yilmaz, TUR 1.5 10 Rodrigues, BRA
1.4
Blocks Per Game
1 Gruda, FRA 2.1 2 Burgrova, CZE 1.7 3 Cambage, AUS 1.6 4 De Souza, BRA 1.6 5 Ivankovic, CRO 1.4 6 Stewart, ENG 1.4 7 Parker, USA 1.3 8 Fagbenle, ENG 1.2 9 Osipova, RUS 1.1 10 Kulichova, CZE
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