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BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 12 : CIS Breaks the Press, Shatters U.S. Women : Basketball: Gomelsky solves defense, and Americans make only 29 of 81 shots in 79-73 loss.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Brothers Gomelsky, a modern Russian fairy tale:

This might sound familiar, but another overpowering U.S. basketball team was upended in the Olympics at the hands of a diminutive coach from the Soviet Union or its successors.

Wednesday, it was Yvgeny Gomelsky, whose team from the Commonwealth of Independent States beat the Americans’ pressure defense--as brother Alexander’s Soviet men beat John Thompson’s at Seoul in 1988--and stunned the women from the United States, 79-73.

The U.S. players, two-time defending gold medalists hoping to prove themselves the finest women’s team in history, were crushed.

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“I really don’t feel anything,” said a glum Cynthia Cooper, a former Trojan. “I feel empty. We just missed a great opportunity.”

While Yvgeny Gomelsky took questions in the interview room, Alexander Gomelsky sat among reporters, translating their questions for his brother. Also attending and translating was Vladimir Gomelsky, Alexander’s son and Yvgeny’s nephew, who works for Russian television, resulting in a cast of characters large enough for a Russian novel.

“This is little son,” said Alexander, 64, of Yvgeny, 53.

“He live in my house many years. Seven years. Our father and mother prisoners in Siberia. He stay in my home.”

What had their parents done?

“This is Stalinism,” Alexander said. “Who knows? Also, they were Jewish.”

Alexander emigrated to the United States two years ago and lives in San Diego. These Games presented him with an opportunity to see his brother and son again.

Reunited, they did what they had done so often in the past: diagram X’s and O’s.

The U.S. women had gone through three admittedly weak opponents like buzz saws, their relentless press giving them victories by an average of 45 points.

Wednesday, they got the CIS, second-place finisher in the other pool after a 91-89 loss to Cuba.

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At first glance, the CIS was physically unimposing, a far cry from the Soviet powerhouse of the ‘70s built around 7-foot Ulyana Semenova.

But the CIS players proved tough and disciplined. They kept their poise against the U.S. pressure defenses, and the No. 1 American weapon was negated.

The Americans trailed at halftime, 47-41, and by 64-53 early in the second half, then went on a 14-1 run, the type of spurt that had blown everyone else away . . . but it didn’t chase off these former Soviets.

Someone said to Cooper that it looked as though things had begun falling into place then.

“We probably did figure that,” Cooper said. “And that’s probably why they came back.”

With the United States ahead, 57-55, it went into a zone but left 6-4 Elena Khoudachova wide open on the wing. Khoudachova made a 17-footer, and the U.S. surge was over.

After that, the game got tight, and so did the U.S. women.

Perhaps that extra burden Coach Theresa Grentz described all week of trying to reignite a U.S. professional league got to them.

“I don’t think we felt pressure,” said Teresa Edwards, the three-time Olympian who had nearly as many turnovers (three) as field goals (four) and finished with 11 points. No U.S. player had more than 12, and the Americans made only 29 of 81 shots.

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“I think we got tense at times. Their stuff was falling, the momentum was going their way, they were getting the calls. I think we were thinking too much.”

With 4:43 left, 6-2 Natalia Zassoulskaia banked in a turnaround 10-footer over Tammy Jackson, and the CIS went ahead to stay.

Down 76-71 the Americans mounted a last rally. Clarissa Davis scored on a rebound, then got the ball back moments later on a fast break but missed the layup.

The U.S. women stayed in their locker room for half an hour.

“This is still the greatest team--one of the greatest teams ever assembled,” said backup point guard Teresa Weatherspoon.

“The score ended in their favor, but we’re still the best team.

“It’s going to give us a scar on each of us for the rest of our lives. We’re going to be asked about this the rest of our lives.”

Said Grentz: “It just didn’t end the way we wanted to finish the fairy tale, that’s all.”

Everybody has a fairy tale, but Wednesday someone else’s came true.

“I’m American,” said Alexander Gomelsky, smiling, “but family is family.”

Basketball Notes

The U.S. and Cuba, expected to play for the gold medal, will play for the bronze Friday. China, which lost to the U.S. in the first round by 26 points, rocked Cuba, 109-70. The Chinese made 55% of their shots, nine for 19 on three-pointers. . . . Haixa Zheng, China’s 6-8, 273-pound center, had 15 points and five rebounds.

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