BASKETBALL : WOMEN ENJOY BLOWOUT.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Bring on Japan, China, Russia. The U.S. women's basketball team, buoyed by a string of successes at the Atlanta Games, feels it is prepared to take on the very best on the international scene.

The Americans catapulted into the medal round Monday afternoon with a 105-64 victory over South Korea before a full house at the Georgia Dome. Only three wins stand between the U.S. women (5-0) and the gold medal they so hunger for.

``This team has stepped up to the Olympic tournament and been playing the best basketball they've played all year,'' coach Tara VanDerveer said. ``So I'm very pleased with that. The rest of our opponents have a lot of talent.''

The U.S. moves on to a quarterfinal game Wednesday.

``The competition will probably get harder,'' said Ruthie Bolton, who scored 15 points. ``We'll do what we have to in that part of the Games to win.''

Actually, the competition wasn't exactly cream puff in the early going of this one. Staggered by South Korea's 59 percent first-half shooting, the U.S switched to a matchup zone. The result: 14 second-half points for South Korea and another runaway for the Americans.

``We got to their shooters quicker and forced their shooters to take shots they didn't want to take,'' said center Lisa Leslie of USC. ``It got them out of their rhythm.''

South Korea missed 13 of its first 14 shots in the second half and 25 of its first 28. The Koreans finished the half 6 for 35 after going 20 for 34 in the first half.

Reserve Nikki McCray led five U.S. players in double figures with 16 points, as VanDerveer rested her starters extensively. The game was meaningless because the U.S. already had clinched first place in its pool.

Sheryl Swoopes played more than any starter, and that was only for 18 minutes. She finished with 12 points, while Leslie scored 14 and Dawn Staley 11. The Americans shot 68 percent in the first half and 57 percent for the game.

Jung Sun-Min led South Korea with 17 points, 12 in the first half. After making 6 of 14 3-point shots in the first half, the Koreans were 1 for 24 behind the arc in the second.

The difference in the first half was that South Korea ran as well as the U.S.

Crisp screens, cuts and passes led to open shots, and South Korea usually made them. The Koreans trailed just 46-42 after Chun Eun-Sook's layup with 6:33 left in the half, and the U.S. lead was only 56-50 with 1:50 remaining.

``We came out a little flat after the game with the Australians (a 96-79 U.S. win Saturday),'' VanDerveer said. `` We had the day off Sunday and it took us a while to get going. I was pleased with the effort off the bench.

``I wasn't real pleased with the defense. We talked about it at halftime. But you've got to give credit to Korea. We scored very well and I was pleased with that. I liked the second half a lot better.''

McCray's two free throws and Jennifer Azzi's baseline drive stretched the lead to 10 in the first half, and Teresa Edwards ended the half with a big defensive play.

The four-time Olympian recovered quickly after getting beaten on a backdoor cut and blocked Chun Joo-Weon's layup with three seconds left.

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Photo: (color) Former USC star Lisa Leslie, right, appliesthe defense to South Korea's Yoo Young-Joo in 105-64 rout.

Associated Press