Taking The World By Storm - Aug. 16
 Taylor led Australia with a huge 26-point effort. Michael Steele/Getty |
The Australians started off well, taking a 21-12 lead after one quarter, but Russia was able to cut its deficit to three points by halftime. The teams continued to play even in the third quarter, with Australia entering the final period ahead by four, 52-48. The final 10 minutes were dominated by the Opals, as they outscored Russia 23-8 to pick up a convincing 75-56 victory.
The marquee matchup fizzled somewhat, with two of the WNBA’s leading shot-blockers neutralizing each other at the defensive end of the court. Jackson had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, but connected on just four of 15 shot attempts. Foul trouble – she finished with four, one away from fouling out – limited Jackson to 30 minutes of action. Baranova, who also picked up four fouls, attempted just six shots, hitting two of them. She finished with six points and eight rebounds.
Picking up for Jackson was Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor, who had a monster game before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Taylor had a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 9-for-17 from the field. Veterans Trish Fallon and Kristi Harrower had 13 and 11 points, respectively, for Australia.
With center Maria Stepanova also bothered by fouls (she played just 14 minutes), Russia turned to guard Ilona Korstine. Korstine had a fine game with 12 points and nine rebounds, but no other Russian player managed double-figures.
Neither team shot well, with Australia hitting 38% from the field and Russia 33%.
Earlier, the United States overcame another slow start to handily defeat the Czech Republic 80-61. The U.S. starting lineup has struggled in recent exhibition games and in Saturday’s opener against New Zealand, but never as badly as today, with the Czech Republic leading 21-12 at one point. The U.S. reserves, who have done a good job of bringing energy off the bench, struggled to take control of the game, and the Czechs still led 30-26 nearly halfway through the second quarter.
At that point, the U.S. women changed the game’s momentum with a 14-0 run that put them solidly in front. They led 42-35 at halftime. While unable to put away the Czech Republic, the U.S. built its lead during the third quarter and was ahead by 15 points after three periods of play. A 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter effectively sealed the victory.
Statistically, the game played out much the same as the USA’s recent games, with the U.S. women holding a decisive edge in rebounding (43-22), holding their opponent to a low shooting percentage (34.8%) and turnovers (20) being the main problem for the U.S.
Individually, Lisa Leslie led the U.S. with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. Forward Tina Thompson (12 points) and Yolanda Griffith (10) also scored double-figures. Storm guard Sue Bird saw just 13 minutes of action, scoring seven points and hitting three of her four shots.
Zuzi Klimesova, a former star at Vanderbilt University who has played 12 WNBA games with the Indiana Fever, lit the U.S. women up for 18 points on 9-for-18 shooting. The Czech Republic also got 14 points off the bench from Eva Viteckova, but they were the only two players in double-figures.
In other action Monday, Spain and Brazil joined the U.S. and Australia atop their respective groups at 2-0. While Brazil’s performance has been no surprise, the Spanish pulled a minor upset over the Czech Republic Saturday and a big-time upset over China today to put themselves in good position for medal play. New Zealand also pulled off the upset of the day, beating South Korea 81-73 with three players scoring at least 19 points. Japan’s 79-73 victory over Nigeria rounded out the second set of games.
Having beaten Russia, the Opals are now poised for a preliminary-round showdown with Brazil on Sunday. Barring a surprising stumble, Australia should go into that game undefeated, while Brazil still has Russia to contend with. On Wednesday, when the women are back in action in Athens, Australia will take on 1-1 Japan while the U.S. faces 0-2 South Korea, which has struggled without former Storm forward Jung Sun-Min.
