Women's basketball tramples Australians

by Shannon Bertling on September 11, 2009

The U.S. Women’s Basketball Team walked onto the court Friday afternoon, ready to face the Australians. For once, the opponents seemed to match the Americans in size, which suggested the game might be close, even if the Australians earlier had lost to a tiny Japanese team. However, the game ended with a score of 83-28. In the first quarter, the Aussies gave the Americans a run for their money: they took the first two points of the game, making it the first match in which the U.S. did not make the first basket. The Australians continued scoring, and the Americans lagged, starting off cold, missing easy shots and running around, appearing too harried to control the game. Despite 11 careless turnovers, the Australians were able to nab 18 rebounds to America's eight. At five minutes to go, the Americans adjusted and slowed down the tempo in order to pass with better accuracy. This shift helped the U.S. raise the score to a tie at 8, and by the end of the quarter, the score was 13-11, U.S. The second quarter opened with an American rally, and by the time Australia called their first timeout at six minutes, the score was 23-11. Unfazed, the U.S. women continued to score against the Australians for the remainder of the quarter. The Americans forced a total of 25 errors and allowed Australia only two baskets. By the end of the first half, the score stood at 37 to 15. The Australians had plenty of shot opportunities — and took them — but nothing was falling through the hoop. Unfortunately for the Aussies, the second half didn’t allow them to warm up and start making their shots, as the third quarter passed quickly and ended with a score of 55-24. The fourth quarter found the American women playing their best passing game, leaving no room for the Aussies to catch up. The Aussies were able to rebound a total of 36 shots to America's 42, with 27 of them off defensive playing. However, that, combined with a 22 percent shooting average, was not enough to steal a win. "We have a few weaknesses, as a team," said Coach Meg Sanders, "and rebounding is one of them." The U.S. women stole the ball 35 times —Jennifer Decuir alone grabbed 10 — and forced a total of 46 errors. Center Stacy Nowak played a mean game inside and outside the paint and made 11 points, the highest of her 2009 Deaflympics career. Abigail Moose and Decuir again led the American pack in scoring, with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The U.S. faces a tough test in Lithuania at 5 p.m. Saturday. Considered one of the top teams in the Deaflympics, Lithuania will be a tough hurdle in the U.S.’s bid to return to the gold-medal match for the eighth time in a row.

Women's basketball tramples Australians

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