U.S. women’s basketball gets win over Australia

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The U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team wasn’t the only squad that had a tough time with Australia. The U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team hung on Tuesday night for a 71-67 win over Australia in the championship round of the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament in Haining, China.

Lisa Leslie scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the U.S. Candace Parker added 12 points and eight rebounds and Sue Bird, who was five of six from the field, finished with 11 points.

Australia’s Penny Taylor scored 19 points and Diamond Ball MVP Lauren Jackson added 16.

“Definitely (these two teams) bring out the best in each other,” USA head Coach Anne Donovan told USA Basketball. “I think the familiarity for our players with Australia for us, both in the WNBA and internationally when they play in the leagues in the winter, I think they just know each other very well.’

‘The top level athlete is so competitive, and they have so much pride, that it wouldn’t matter if they were playing for marbles,’ Donovan said. ‘I think they’d go just as hard. This was great to see, and it was great preparation. Absolutely the best preparation we could have going into next week.”

-- Greg Johnson