Olympic

No tanking this time -- Russia and France are playing for a shot at gold

No tanking this time -- Russia and France are playing for a shot at gold
August 8, 2012 - 3:10pm

There was a lot of talk about how the Russians really didn’t care about the last pool play game against France, and basically gave the game away so they could avoid playing Team USA in the semifinals – and there doesn’t seem much doubt about it being true.

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Russia outlasts Turkey, 66-63, in quarterfinal cliffhanger

Russia outlasts Turkey, 66-63, in quarterfinal cliffhanger
August 8, 2012 - 1:10am

LONDON -- Olympic newcomer Turkey battled its way back from a 12-point second-quarter deficit to Russia to take a narrow lead early in the fourth period over the world's No. 2 women's basketball team -- only to see its Olympic dreams extinguished by a triad of errors in the final 13 seconds of its quarterfinal match Tuesday.

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Lauren Jackson becomes all-time women's Olympic high scorer as Australia wears down China to advance

Lauren Jackson becomes all-time women's Olympic high scorer as Australia wears down China to advance
August 7, 2012 - 1:42pm

LONDON -- So often the focus is on the stars, but even though Liz Cambage (Tulsa Shock) scored a game-high 17 points for Australia, the reason the Opals beat China, 75-60, in the quarterfinals of the London 2012 Olympic competition in women's basketball today wasn’t the 6-8 20-year-old sensation, nor even the all-around play or record-breaking scoring of superstar Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm). The real reason for the win was the depth of Australian roster.

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United States crushes Canada, 91-48, to advance to Olympic semis

United States crushes Canada, 91-48, to advance to Olympic semis
August 7, 2012 - 12:25pm

LONDON -- After Team USA celebrated the 10th anniversary of the beginning of its current 39-game Olympic winning streak with a 91-48 rout of her Canadian squad in the quarterfinals of the London 2012 Olympics Tuesday, Allison McNeill said it all on her way to the locker room: "What was the difference?" the Canadian head coach said with remarkable grace and a touch of self-deprecating humor, repeating a reporter's question a. "The difference would probably be 12 of the best players in the world against 12 who are not the best players in the world."

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Olympic quarterfinals preview: Much will be revealed in Tuesday's first knockout games

Olympic quarterfinals preview: Much will be revealed in Tuesday's first knockout games
August 5, 2012 - 8:10pm

At this point, it is traditional for the sports journalist to settle back, assemble information, cogitate thoroughly, and then deliver a thoughtful analysis of the next round of competition.

That is a wonderful theory, but as is often the case, some annoying facts are going to get in the way. Consider:

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United States falls one point short of new team Olympic scoring record in 114-66 rout of China

United States falls one point short of new team Olympic scoring record in 114-66 rout of China
August 5, 2012 - 1:12pm

LONDON --  For the first time since the London 2012 Olympic women's basketball competition began here at the Basketball Arena in Olympic Park, Team USA came out firing on all cylinders. Though the United States has ultimately defeated each of its preliminary-round opponents by a wide margin, they have shown a propensity for lackluster starts, at times having to dig their way out of double-digit holes before taking over.

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Last day of pool play settles quarterfinal matchups

Last day of pool play settles quarterfinal matchups
August 5, 2012 - 8:40am

LONDON -- Form held on Day 5 of the London Olympics, and thus the quarterfinal matchups that everyone expected after Day 4 are now set in stone.

With France's victory over Russia, the French win Group B, and will draw the Czech Republic (fourth in Group A) in the quarterfinals. The United States, the 800-pound gorilla of the event, won Group A, and will play Canada.

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U.S. overcomes slow start to crush Czech Republic

U.S. overcomes slow start to crush Czech Republic
August 3, 2012 - 11:28pm

LONDON -- The United States expected a tough battle from the Czech Republic, and they got one -- at least for a while -- as the Czechs raced out to a 10-0 start in the nightcap of Day 4's Olympic women's basketball competition in the Basketball Arena at Olympic Park Friday. In what has become their modus operandi, Team USA struggled through a slow start in the early going, gradually gained steam as the game entered its second quarter, and then cruised to a comfortable win in the second half as they picked up their 37th consecutive Olympic victory.

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Canada stuns Brazil to reach the knockout round; Chinese collapse against Turkey

Canada stuns Brazil to reach the knockout round; Chinese collapse against Turkey
August 3, 2012 - 12:33pm

 

LONDON -- Two surprises – quite apart from the dunk by Liz Cambage – and a near-shocker marked Day 4 of the 2012 London Olympics women’s basketball competition. First, Canada bounced back in the fourth quarter to upset favored Brazil and move on to the knockout round, which begins next week, and then Turkey demolished an apparently less than intense Chinese team to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals.

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Cambage dunk makes Olympic history as Australia edges Russia, 70-66

August 3, 2012 - 10:50am

LONDON -- Australia's 6-8 center Elizabeth Cambage (Tulsa Shock) made Olympic history today as she threw down the first-ever dunk in the Games' women's basketball competition. The 20-year-old's landmark moment came at the 6:14 mark of the third period in Australia's Day 4 match with Russia after Cambage took a feed from veteran point guard Kristi Harrower and slammed it home one-handed, putting, in the words of Opals coach Carrie Graf, "the punctuation mark" on what would become a 12-0 Australian run that broke open what had been to that point an extremely close game.

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