Taking The World By Storm - Aug. 18
 Jackson dominated smaller Japanese defenders in the post. Stuart Hannagan/Getty |
Playing against a Japanese team with no players over 6-2, Australia dominated the middle. 2003 Storm draft pick Suzy Batkovic added 11 points and eight rebounds and the Opals outrebounded Japan 53-17, pulling down 22 offensive boards.
Japan, which relies on its shooting and quickness to overcome its lack of size, was able to stay with Australia for one quarter. After 10 minutes of action, the Aussies led just 26-20. By halftime, however, that margin had ballooned to 21 points, and Australia held an insurmountable 82-45 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Japanese got going on offense in garbage time to make the final score a more respectable 19-point margin. Yuko Oga was a big part of that, coming off the bench to lead her team with 21 points and knocking down four three-pointers.
“My team tried to concentrate on defense, but we didn’t manage to block the Australians,” said Japanese player Noriko Hamaguchi, who was held scoreless in 18 minutes of action. “They are very tall, fast and they have good technique. They are unstoppable. Now, we have to face Russia, which is not as tough of an opponent as Australia.”
As for the U.S. women, their games are becoming predictable enough that one could copy and paste recaps for each game, merely changing the scores and the name of the opponent. Slow start, then eventual domination. Huge advantage on the glass. Tough defense. Some issues with turnovers. They were all there again as the U.S. beat South Korea.
For the second straight game, the U.S. trailed after one quarter, with the Koreans taking advantage of some hot shooting - they shot 6-for-13 from three-point range in the first half - to hold a 23-20 advantage. The U.S. women turned on the defense in the second quarter, holding South Korea to nine points, but still were struggling on offense as they took a seven-point lead to the break. The floodgates burst open after halftime, with the U.S. outscoring South Korea 29-7 in the period (including a 19-2 run to start the half) to take a commanding lead and then cruising with reserves in the fourth quarter.
Like Australia, the U.S. women boasted a major size advantage against the Koreans, and took full advantage of it. Instead of the balanced attack of games past, the U.S. relied heavily on its starters up front, center Lisa Leslie and power forward Tina Thompson. In 23 minutes of action, Leslie had 25 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, hitting 13-for-15 from the field. Thompson, meanwhile, had 18 points and seven rebounds. They were the only two U.S. players to score double-figures. Three Korean players scored double-figures, led by Mi Sun Lee’s 16 points.
The U.S. women held a 45-19 advantage on the glass - bringing their three-game total to 146 rebounds to their opponents’ 69 - and actually outrebounded South Korea 22-11 off of their own misses. Those offensive boards proved especially valuable because the U.S. women – like their male counterparts have throughout the Olympics – struggled from the perimeter. The Americans finished 3-for-20 from downtown, and were a dismal 1-for-11 in the first half. Bird was one of the culprits, missing six three-pointers and all seven shots she attempted overall as she struggled to find her shot.
Guard Katie Smith, who has been bothered by a knee contusion, returned to the U.S. lineup and did not score or attempt a shot in seven minutes of action.
Friday’s next set of preliminary games should prove more challenging for both Australia and the U.S. The U.S. women face Spain, who will attempt to match their 3-0 record atop Group B later today, taking on New Zealand (Brazil plays Russia in an effort to match Australia at 3-0 in Group A; the two teams play on Sunday). Australia will take on host Greece, which got its first win Wednesday over Nigeria. In other action, the Czech Republic got a much-needed 98-83 win over China, the U.S. women’s opponent on Sunday.
