Filed under: WNBA, FIBA, FIBA World Championship
Sometimes, in basketball, as in life, you can only forestall the inevitable for so long.The Czech Republic entry in the FIBA world championships executed its game plan against the United States in Sunday's gold medal game about as well as anyone else had in the tournament. And with a home crowd of almost 7,000 cheering them on, the Czechs had reason to think they could knock off an American team that had won their previous matches by an average of 34.5 points per game.
However, the Czechs weren't able to quell that one decisive American run, a 13-0 spurt early in the third quarter, and the U.S. broke open a close game with an 89-69 win to capture the eighth world championship in the 57 years FIBA has awarded a gold medal in women's basketball.
"I thought the Czech team played with so much heart and so much passion and they're so smart. Every time you make a mistake, they make a basket," said U.S. coach Geno Auriemma. "That was the best team we played in the entire tournament, without question. We're fortunate to be world champions. I know my players worked really, really hard. To do it here, in the Czech Republic, against the Czech national team, in front of an unbelievable crowd. The crowd last night was incredible and tonight was just as good. I think it makes this win even more rewarding because of who we had to beat and where we had to beat them."
Angel McCoughtry led all American scorers with 18 points off the bench, while Diana Taurasi scored 16.
For most of the first half, the Czechs ran their halfcourt sets well, made big shots and -- most importantly -- kept the U.S. team from turning the game into a track meet, by limiting their transition opportunities.
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