BASKETBALL : MCCLAIN, EDWARDS TEAM UP FOR SUCCESS.Byline: Chuck Schoffner Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Challenged for the first time in the Olympics, the U.S. women's basketball Women's basketball is one of the few games which developed in tandem with men's. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, in large part via women's colleges. team looked to its veterans for help. As usual, Katrina McClain and Teresa Edwards Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964 in Cairo, Georgia) is a retired American basketball player. She is currently an assistant coach for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. College years Edwards began her career at the University of Georgia where she was a two time All-American. answered. The former University of Georgia Organization The President of the University of Georgia (as of 2007, Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents. teammates led the way as the unbeaten United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. turned back Australia 96-79 Saturday night to clinch first place in its preliminary pool. McClain, playing in her third Olympics, scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half. Edwards, a four-time Olympian, came through with 20 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds. She was 7 for 8 from the field and McClain was 12 for 14. Sheryl Swoopes Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Houston Comets in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She has won three Olympic Gold Medals and is a three-time WNBA MVP. added 17 points for the Americans and former USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. star Lisa Leslie A Georgia Dome crowd of 33,952, another record for women's basketball, saw the U.S. team wear down the Australians with its size, quickness and, most notably, its depth. Other than increased security, there were no signs of tension from the early morning explosion. The crowd was lively and rock music blared during timeouts. The United States had beaten Australia three times during its 52-0 exhibition tour, but none of the three games was a rout. Neither was Saturday's. The Australians led by six points in the first half and trailed by only three at halftime. They continued to keep it close for a while in the second as Michelle Timms hit three straight 3-pointers and a layup, cutting it to 60-58 with 15:56 left. Timms scored 26 points on 7-for-19 shooting. Then, the U.S. team finally kicked into high gear. Swoopes hit a 3-pointer and two free throws to start a 16-4 run that stretched the lead to 76-62 with 10:15 remaining, and the Americans were in control the rest of the way. The Australians were striking in their skin-tight, one-piece uniforms and, until the U.S. team finally pulled away, also effective. They stayed with the taller Americans on the boards and got themselves open for good shots with sharp passes and crisp cuts. An 8-0 run in a span of 1:10 gave Australia a 31-25 lead before 6-foot-4 Venus Lacey came off the bench to add some muscle inside and get the Americans going. The United States got the final five points of the half to go up 46-43. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: U.S. teammates, from left, Rebecca Lobo, Katy Stedin g, Venus Lacey and Dawn Staley are excited about the win over Australia. Associated Press |
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