USA Women Dismantle Host China 108-63 With 23-0 First Quarter Run

By USA Basketball
Posted Monday, August 11, 2008

BEIJING, China (Aug. 11, 2008) - Led by 27 points from Tina Thompson (Houston Comets), the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Team (2-0) jumped on host country China (1-1) early and rode a 23-0 first quarter run to an easy 108-63 win Monday night at Wukesong Arena in Beijing, China.

In addition to Thompson, whose 27 points tied Cynthia Cooper and Katrina McClain for the fourth-best single-game scoring output in the women's U.S. Olympic record book, the USA was helped by 18 points and eight rebounds from Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), 12 points from Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double from three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks).

"We knew that the Chinese fans were going to be loud and strong as they were last night with the men's game. So we were excited to come in and feel that energy in Wukesong, and it was not disappointing," said USA head coach Anne Donovan. "I'm really happy that we started the game stronger than we did against the Czechs. I thought that we set tempo very quickly and followed through for the 40 minutes. So, I'm pleased with the effort."

China's Chen Nan opened the game with four points and Bian Lan added two to help China take a 6-2 lead at 7:50 in the first period. Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) countered with an easy basket at the rim, followed by a Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) steal and fast-break layup to tie the score 6-6 at 7:22. The squads traded baskets in the next two minutes, and a 3-pointer from China brought the score to 11-10 in the host's favor at 5:48.

That was the last time China would score in the period or have a chance at a win, however, as the U.S. defense buckled down and its offense raced to a 23-0 run to close the period up 33-11. Thompson was the fuel to the USA's fire, scoring 13 of her 21 first half points during the stretch, including two 3-pointers and three points scored the old-fashioned way.

"I think it was a hard fought game. Very exciting," Thompson said. "The Chinese crowd was awesome, as usual. I was extremely proud of our team's defense. We came out, and we set the tone. We were very aggressive and that kind of created good offensive opportunities for us."

As the U.S. spread its 28 second-quarter points across eight players, including six from both Fowles and Thompson, China managed just 16 points in the period, and the U.S. lead ballooned to 34 points, 61-27, at the halftime intermission.

Eight points from Chen Nan and seven from Zhang Wei in the third quarter helped China nearly keep pace with the Americans, and the USA increased its advantage by just one point in the period to take a 81-46 lead.

Relying on its reserves, the USA went on to outscore China 27-17 in the final 10 minutes to bring the score to the final 108-63 tally.