SAMARA, Russia, Oct. 18 -- Marie Ferdinand scored 18 points and Cheryl Ford added 11 points and eight rebounds and the WNBA Select team handed US Valenciennes Olympic (France) its first defeat, 71-65 Saturday in the second and final round of the 2003 FIBA Women's World Cup.

Valenciennes, which started the Charlotte Sting's Allison Feaster and former WNBA players Ann Wauters and Audrey Sauret, took its first lead at the five-minute mark of the first quarter, going up 8-6, and the French team would keep the advantage until late in the game. 

Ferdinand

Ford

The WNBA again struggled early on, making only 24 percent of its field goals in the first quarter, while Valenciennes was a red-hot 8-for-16. Adrian Williams and Ferdinand kept the WNBA team close by scoring four points each. Feaster was the go-to choice for Valenciennes with eight points and Wauters added four to give the French team a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the WNBA Select team improved its shooting and stepped up rebounding to keep pace with Valenciennes.  The Select team shot 34 percent for the quarter, but Valenciennes remained hot at 49 percent and seven turnovers kept the WNBA-ers from gaining ground on the French team.

Sauret scored eight points in the quarter as three Valenciennes teammates, including Wauters, put in four each.  For the WNBA team, Ford had three field goals and made a free throw for seven points and Nikki Teasley sank two threes for six points. As the quarter ended, both teams had scored 21 points, still giving Valenciennes the edge at the half, 41-36.

Out of the half, the WNBA team tightened its defense, which helped contain Valenciennes more effectively, and bettered its shooting effort. Teasley was again a key offensive threat, putting in five points with four added by teammate Kara Lawson. Teasley and Ruth Riley each pulled down three rebounds.

Feaster and Sauret were the offense for the French team, each with six points. Feaster, Wauters and Suzy Batkovic each had four rebounds to give Valenciennes the edge in rebounds for the first time in the game.  Valenciennes rebounding kept the game on par even with the improved WNBA effort, giving the French team a 57-52 edge going into the final quarter.

The WNBA Select team's improved effort continued in the fourth quarter with shooting accuracy continuing to improve.  The team also did a much better job of taking care of the ball. With the ball now falling the U.S.'s way, the WNBA team took its first lead since the early part of the game at 59-57 with about seven minutes to go.

The lead the see-sawed back and fourth for a few minutes until Ferdinand decided to take over the game with six straight points on three consecutive drives to the basket. With 3:12 left in the game, the WNBA led 65-62 and never relinquished the advantage again.

Riley sealed the victory with two free throws, putting the WNBA Select team up by four, and Ferdinand added an exclamation point with a steal and a layup, giving the WNBA the victory at 71-65.

Leading scorers for the WNBA: Marie Ferdinand (18), Nikki Teasley (11), Cheryl Ford (11)
Leading scorers for Valenciennes: Allison Feaster (16), Audrey Sauret (15), Ann Wauters (13)

Leading rebounders for the WNBA: Cheryl Ford (8), Michelle Snow (7), Adrian Williams (6)
Leading rebounders with Valenciennes: Ann Wauters (16), Suzy Batkovic (9), Allison Feaster (6)

Postgame Press Conference: Michael Cooper Q: What are your thoughts on the game? A: "It was a very well-played game.  Valenciennesgot a lot of second and third shots and rebounded very well.  I love the fact that our team never gave up.  It took all we had to get this win against a very good French team." Q: What was the toughest thing about the game against France? A:  "The French team did a good job of closing down our passing lanes and getting steals.  They kept us to one shot and got easy baskets off the steals.  But we eventually got into a rhythm and won the game." Postgame Press Conference: Marie Ferdinand Q: What did you think of the way your team played? A: "I am proud of the way my team played today.  We stayed calm and were able to come back on a tough team." Q: Would you have prefered to play Samara or Ekaterinburg in the Final? A: "Right now, we are playing well, and so are those two teams.  The Final between Samara and our team will be a good game for sure." Q: What do you think of the officiating? A: "The officiating is different here, but that is what you expect when you play overseas.  It is the players’ job to adjust our style of play to respond to that, and I think so far we have been able to do that." Q: What was the difference for you in this game versus Valenciennes compared to the game versus UMMC-Ekaterinburg, which you lost? A:  "Both games were difficult.  We just didn’t want to lose two in a row, so we fought through it."

Mabika

Swoopes

Highlights from Other WNBA Players in Action:

Volgaburmash-SGAU 75, UMMC Ekaterinbourg 67
Maria Stepanova (Phoenix Mercury '01) posted 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks and Mwadi Mabika added 12 points and seven assists for the winners. Sheryl Swoopes scored 20 points for UMMC Ekaterinbourg.

Wooribank Hansae 95, Mambas 53
DeMya Walker scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the winners.

Canberra Capitals 88, Sao Paulo 66

Jackson

Arcain

Lauren Jackson poured in 31 points while leading the Australian team to victory and Janeth Arcain notched 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Brazilians.