45-38, at 2:16. Moore responded with a
3-pointer to pull the USA back within four, and each team put two more points on the board to head to the halftime locker room with the USA trailing at the half for the first time in the tournament, 47-43. “I’ve been down before, I’ve been in close games before,” Bird
said. “We all have. And there was really no panic. We took what you could probably call Australia’s best shot, 61 percent, one player with basically 20 points in a half. Things couldn’t have gone any better for them, and we were only down four. So, we took that as a positive.” Out of the break, the USA defense
Maya Moore was the youngest USA team member but played like a veteran averaging 9.0 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 2.6 apg. and 1.5 spg.
countering that with some different sets, getting people into different spots, and I think we saw some better things in the second half.” A bucket inside from Charles and a
steal and score from Bird put the USA up 4-0 to start the game. From there, the game was tied five times over the next five minutes. With the USA leading 14-12 after a
score from Bird, Australia pumped in six unanswered points to lead 18-14 at 2:19. The USA erased the deficit and the game was tied at 18 after points from McCoughtry and a fast break bucket from Parker at 1:37. Australia put four more points on
the scoreboard while Fowles scored for the USA, and the Aussies led 22-20 at the end of the first period. Australia struck first in the second,
but each team matched each score over the next four minutes, and Catchings sank two free throws to tie things 32-32. Australia pulled away with a 7-0 run
and led 39-32 at 5:01. Two baskets from Bird brought the USA back within three points, 39-36, before a three-point play from Cambage and a score from the field put Australia back up by seven points,
USA Basketball News
buckled down. While the Americans erased the deficit with a 3-pointer from Taurasi and a score from Charles in the first 41 seconds, its lead remained at no more than four points over the next four minutes. Australia trailed 55-51 and rallied once more and took its last lead of the evening, 56-55, with 3:58 remaining in the period. The USA closed out the period
with a 10-3 run that included six straight points from Whalen, followed by two from Charles. Headed into the final 10 minutes, the USA had built a 65-59 advantage. “I think the biggest thing was just to
come out and play a little harder on defense,” Whalen said. “We needed to get more pressure on the ball. They were able to shoot open shots. We need to be able to get a hand up, kind of bother them. Once we did those things, kind of extended our pressure a little bit, and made it hard on them to get those easy shots, then we were able to run after that. You know, it’s kind of all about stops at halftime. Get the stops and we were able to run, and after that it felt like we were able to get a couple of things in transition, a couple of things easier earlier – not have to just run halfcourt the whole time.” After a score from Augustus at 9:49,
Australia sank a three to close within five points, 67-62, at 8:46, but that was as close as they would get. Augustus answered with another score at 7:26 to put the USA up by seven, and the USA went on to outscore Australia 19-11 to reach the 86-73 final.
Australia fouled down the stretch in
an attempt to draw out the game, but the effort was too little too late – even with the USA finishing a dismal 62.1 percent from the free throw line (18-29 FTs). In the last minute, the USA put the ball in the right hands as Taurasi was a perfect 4-of-4 to end the game. “I think it’s good,” Parker said of
the USA’s tough test. “We would rather have it like this than any other way. I think you learn more about yourself in a game like this than you do when every- thing is falling and all your shots are going in.”
USA 86, France 50 Owning a comfortable 12-point lead
at halftime over previously unbeaten France, the USA blew the game wide open with a monster 19-0 run in the third quarter that propelled the USA to an 86-50 win and a fifth-straight Olympic gold medal. “You know, you go into every game
thinking that there’s going to be some things that you have to do, and if you do
USA 86, Australia 73 August 9, 2012
USA Bird
Moore
MIN FG FT R A PF PTS 28 6- 8 0- 0 422 13 19 4-10 0- 0 132 9
Catchings 23 2- 4 3- 5 803 7 Taurasi 28 2- 7 8- 9 514 14 Charles 29 6-14 2- 6 10 42 14 Whalen 12 2- 6 2- 2 111 6 Augustus 16 4- 7 0- 0 410 8 McCoughtry 9 1- 3 2- 4 020 4 Jones
Fowles Parker
AUS Screen
10 0- 0 0- 0 011 0 8 2- 3 0- 0 203 4 18 3- 9 1- 3 514 7
Cash DNP Totals 200 32-71 18-29 43 16 22 86
MIN FG FT R A PF PTS 12 0- 1 0- 0 121 0
Harrower 22 5-11 0- 0 412 12 Snell
15 0- 4 2- 2 121 2
Cambage 31 8-13 3- 7 713 19 Jackson 34 5-11 3- 6 17 13 14 O'Hea
30 4- 8 2- 2 133 10
Richards 18 2- 6 0- 0 135 5 Batkovic 15 3- 7 0- 0 104 6 Jarry
23 2- 6 1- 1 653 5
Totals 200 29-67 11-18 41 18 25 73 USA
Australia
20 23 22 21 -- 86 22 25 12 14 -- 73
3PT FGs-USA (4-10): Taurasi 2-2, Moore 1-4, Bird 1-2, Whalen 0-1, Augustus 0-1; Australia (4-16): Harrower 2-3, Jackson 1-3, Richards 1-1, Snell 0-3, O'Hea 0-2, Jarry 0-1, Screen 0-1, Batkovic 0-1, Cambage 0-1; TO-USA 13, Australia 20; BLKS- USA 1, Australia 4; STLS- USA 10, Australia 3.
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Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
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