U.S. women's hoops defeats Greece

by Shannon Bertling on September 10, 2009

After dismantling Hungary, 74-48, on Wednesday, the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team went on to upset the undefeated Greek women’s team, 56-46, on Thursday. The game against Greece opened with a quick 3-pointer by Jennifer Decuir, and the U.S. women didn’t stop racheting up points until the score was 15-0. When not complaining about the lack of calls by the referees, the Greek players were fast but not confident in each other as a team, which took a toll on their performance. Finally, with about three minutes to go in the first quarter, Alexandria Kotsiafti threw a overhead shot to notch the first two points for Greece. The first quarter ended with another shot by Greece, a 3-pointer made at the buzzer, and the score stood at 17-8. The second quarter saw Greece team up and pump up their offensive game. With excellent screen set-ups and box-outs, the Greeks were able to get inside the paint and score against the U.S. forwards. Mainly thanks to defensive rebounds, the Greeks were able to catch up with the Americans, only one point behind, at 19-18, with five minutes to go in the first half. The rest of the half, Greece defended the basket with a 2-1-2 zone system and kept the American score low while managing to make points against the U.S. When halftime rolled around, the score stood at 24-30. The second half of the game kept fans on the edge of their seats as the American and Greeks went neck-and-neck, fighting a brutally physical game. However, Chrysanthi Chaina, the point guard for Greece missed all but five of her baskets despite having many opportunities to score. The third quarter saw both sides making basket after basket, and it ended with a score of 44-35, with the U.S. appearing harried next to the stubborn and defiant Greeks. The fourth quarter saw more defensive than offensive play, since both teams neglected rebound opportunities and missed too many shots. The Hellenic blond Sarakatsani had a total of 16 points by the game's end, comparable to Dotson's game-high 20 points and second-highest American scorer Decuir's 14. The U.S. faces Australia at 1 p.m. Friday.

U.S. women's hoops defeats Greece

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