(Photo by Bill Millios)
Women's basketball survives fast Chinese teamby Shannon Bertling on September 7, 2009 Ideally, the U.S. Women's game against China would have been a breeze. Instead, the Americans struggled to gain a lead in the first half, and in the second half, only slowly built a lead against the Chinese on their way to an 88-44 victory. Ball-handler Jennifer Decuir notched the first two points of the game within four seconds of the tipoff, but instead of pulling ahead as expected, the U.S. team faltered against the Chinese offense. At six minutes, the score was 10-8,China, and the first timeout was called. Within another two minutes, the score was 17-8. The Chinese team turned out to be smart, fast and well conditioned compared to the U.S. women, with offensive plays that were effective against the height and talent advantages the U.S. had been enjoying. They ran a lot of fast breaks against the slower U.S. team, and they did not hesitate to shoot from the perimeter. Penetrating the defense was not a priority for the Chinese, and their screen set-ups earned them shot opportunities. They knew to tire out the U.S. women, and they were easily able to box out the taller post players in order to grab some rebounds. Fortunately for the U.S., Ida Dotson was not fazed by the Chinese team's early play. She jumped into the game from the bench and rallied her team into action, scoring two quick baskets and kept shooting until the score was 17-18. At the one-minute mark, Decuir made it 20-17, and by the end of the first quarter, the U.S. was up 24-22. The better part of the second quarter saw the two countries pulling back and forth for possession of the ball. The U.S. employed a half-court press but for all their steals — nine in the second quarter alone — but they made eight turnovers and missed too many easy shots. At halftime, the U,S, was up, 49-31. The Chinese coach did not waste much time lecturing, but instead had his players stay warm by shooting around, while the U.S. women hustled into the locker room for a pep talk. The second half saw Abigail Moose and Decuir team up to drive the Chinese women back into defensive mode, and after revving the offense, the U.S. women were able to pull ahead into a cushy lead. The third quarter ended with a score of 61-39, and China hastily threw out fresh players at the start of the fourth. Their plan did not work, however, and the score continued to climb in favor of the U.S., leading to a final score of 88-44. The team's impressive numbers — 28 steals and 14 assists — were offset by their 22 turnovers and dismal 38 rebounds, all against a small team. It's a reminder that the U.S. women will need to shape up in order to earn the gold. "We need to be ready to play hard," coach Meg Sanders said after the game. |
 (Photo by Bill Millios)
 (Photo by Bill Millios)
Latest News
Donate
|