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Friday, September 29
Timms, Jackson lead way for Aussies
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Australia's first chance at a gold
medal in women's Olympic basketball came from the old guard and the
new center.
|  | | Australia's 19-year-old Lauren Jackson is a big reason why the Aussies are in the gold-medal game. |
The team with the home-continent advantage beat Brazil 64-52
Friday to advance to the gold-medal game for the first time.
The best Australia had ever managed before was a bronze in 1996.
Now, the worst it can get is a silver when it plays Saturday
against the United States, which beat South Korea 78-65 in the
other semifinal.
"The only thing that could beat this is to go that one step
further," four-time Olympian Michelle Timms said. "I'm very proud
to be the captain of this Australian basketball team."
The game with Brazil couldn't have gotten off to a better start
as Australia (7-0) hit its first four shots and went on to an 11-0
lead.
The sellout crowd of 14,698 in the SuperDome was ready for an
afternoon blowout, only Brazil hung around and hung around and was
down just 44-40 with 10:02 to play.
Then a jumper by Trish Fallon started an 8-0 run that finished
with 3-pointers by Timms, the 35-year-old veteran, and Lauren
Jackson, the 19-year-old considered the future of Australian
women's basketball.
Timms always receives the loudest ovation when the team is
introduced, with Jackson not far behind. They were right together
when Australia needed it and Jackson's 3 made it 52-40 with 7:53
left.
The 3 was the only basket for Timms, who has been limited to
about six minutes a game as she recovers from arthroscopic knee
surgery after playing for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.
"It was nice to be in the mix this time," Timms said. "I told
myself before the game to be ready to give what a veteran can give.
I had only one 3-pointer and one from 2-range the entire
tournament.
"I don't feel a thing," she said about her knee. "I know it's
got one more game in it. I wanted a chance and I'm really
grateful."
Australia's biggest lead was 56-42 with 6:15 to play on a layup
by Michelle Griffiths. Brazil (3-4) never got closer than eight
points the rest of the way.
Jackson and Sandy Brondello each had 16 points for Australia.
Brondello scored the first six points of the game.
"Sandy set the tone for us and got us off to a great start,"
Timms said.
Jackson said she's ready to face the Americans.
"The U.S. is obviously a great team but we're playing
outstanding and have improved 100 percent since we lost to them,"
Jackson said, referring to an 83-62 exhibition loss Sept. 9.
"We know we can beat the United States."
Janeth Arcain, who plays for the WNBA's Houston Comets, had 21
points for Brazil, two points above her average for the tournament.
Alessandra Oliveira had 16 points and 14 rebounds in playing the
entire 40 minutes.
It was the second time Australia beat Brazil in the tournament.
It won 81-70 in the preliminary round.
"The Australian team is an excellent team and is on the path to
a gold medal," Brazil coach Antonio Carlos Barbosa said. "They
are also a team that has the full support of the audience and that
is always good."
Australia advanced to the semifinals with a 76-48 victory over
Poland, while Brazil got there with a 68-67 victory over Russia.
Brazil was trying to get to the gold medal game for the second
consecutive Olympics. It lost to the United States in the 1996 final.
FIFTH-PLACE GAME
France 71, Russia 59 -- Audrey Sauret scored 17 points and
France finished fifth in its first women's Olympic basketball
appearance.
France (5-2) pulled away in the second half Friday by converting turnovers into fastbreak layups. The last
six points of an 8-0 run that made it 45-31 with 12:41 to play all
were layups after steals, the first two by Sauret.
When Russia (3-4) closed to 55-49 with 5:03 left, France again
pulled away, this time with an 11-0 run with the final two points
again coming on a fastbreak layup by Sauret after a steal.
Catherine Melain added 13 points for France, which lost 68-59 to
South Korea in the quarterfinals, while Isabelle Fijalkowski had 10
points.
Yevgenia Nikonova had 18 points and Elen Chakirova added 17 for
Russia, which lost 68-67 to Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Russia, which finished fifth in 1996, was forced to play almost
the entire tournament without veteran point guard Irina Soumnikova.
She was elbowed in the face just before halftime of the opening
game against Cuba and underwent plastic surgery for a broken
cheekbone. The 35-year-old also broke her wrist when she fell after
being hit.
Russia was 2-for-10 from 3-point range against France after
entering the game with a tournament-leading 44.6 percent mark from
beyond the arc.
SEVENTH-PLACE GAME
Slovakia 64, Poland 57 -- Renata Hirakova had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead Slovakia.
Both teams were making their first Olympic appearance.
Hirakova's three-point play with 3:11 to go capped an 8-0 run
and gave Slovakia (3-4) a 60-49 lead. Poland (3-4) was never able
to get closer than five points the rest of the way.
The teams combined for 57 points after a 34-34 halftime tie,
twice going more than 3½ minutes without either team scoring.
Anna Kotocova added 14 points for Slovakia, which lost 58-43 to
the United States in the quarterfinals.
Margo Dydek, the tournament's leading scorer and rebounder
entering games Friday with averages of 20.3 points and 12.3
rebounds, had 21 points and 12 rebounds. The 7-foot-2 Dydek, who
plays for the WNBA's Utah Starzz, also had five blocks, giving her
21 for the tournament.
Poland lost 76-48 to Australia in the quarterfinals.
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