USA Dishes China its First Loss in Basketball Test Tournament
Friday, 25th April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Thanks to fast break buckets, unchallenged second shot opportunities and skillful post moves from Leslie and Fowles, the United States scored a lot of its points in the paint and kept its two-point field goal shooting percentage at a high 59 percent.
China played like a well-coached team made up of talented athletes who have played basketball since they were 10 to 12 years old. They made their cuts and set their screens, shot 50 percent from the three-point line and made 75 percent of their free throws. But the US team looked like a group of women who have been dribbling as long as they have been walking. They easily broke China's press and put on a clinic on how to execute low-post moves. They dominated the boards, 48 to 31, and also had three players combine for six blocks.
"We should have done better although we are not as good as them in strength and talent," China's Chen Xiaoli said after the game.
If the USA revealed weaknesses, they would be free throw shooting (64 percent) and three-point shooting (3-for-11).
The Chinese fans continued to show the sportsmanship that they have throughout the tournament, cheering not just for their team but also for particularly impressive plays by the opponent. They have, however, picked up the practice of harassing the free throw shooter with a chorus of boos.
For American fans, it was the first test event that gave them a chance to see some athletes who are household names in the United States—veterans like Leslie and Kara Lawson and rising stars like soon-to-be WNBA rookies Fowles and Candice Wiggins.
"I'm from Connecticut and getting tickets to women's basketball games there is next to impossible," said one Beijing resident. A friend of hers, a fellow expat from Minnesota, said she especially enjoyed the chance to see Team USA compete, since she'd been unable to secure tickets to the Olympic tournament.
The Chinese and American fans get one more look at their teams this Saturday, when the two go head-to-head one more time for the tournament championship.
"We know it's going to be a big game with China the day after tomorrow, so we are really focused today," said USA head coach Anne Donovan.
Image: Good Luck Beijing
Tags: Anne Donovan, basketball, Bian Lan, China, Good Luck Beijing, Lisa Leslie, national team, Sylvia Fowles, USA