The Muslim News

Istanbul, (TODAY'S ZAMAN):

Angel McCoughtry and the US Olympic women's basketball team's depth wore down Turkey.

McCoughtry scored 18 points and Tina Charles added 16 to help the Americans beat Turkey 89-58 Wednesday night.

The “Fairies of the Net,” the nickname of the Turkish women's team, had won their first two matches -- beating Angola in the opener last Saturday and the Czech Republic on Monday. The Turks therefore had looked impressive in their first Olympic appearance and said they weren't intimidated by the top-ranked team in the world despite the US winning its first two games by an average of 38.5 points.

The Fairies stayed close for a while. They had an early one-point lead in the first quarter before McCoughtry helped the Americans build a 15-point advantage by the half.

Turkey didn't waiver, coming within 50-45 in the third quarter before McCoughtry and the reserves put the game away.

Her three-point play started a 13-2 run. On the Americans' next possession she missed a three-pointer, but hustled for the offensive rebound and found Maya Moore for an easy lay-in.

Lindsay Whalen then took over, scoring six of the final eight points during the burst to make it 63-47 after three quarters, much to the delight of LeBron James, who was in attendance along with some other players from the men's Olympic team.

The Turks could get no closer in the fourth quarter. Former VCU star Quanitra Hollingsworth led Turkey (2-1) with 11 points. She was born in America, but became naturalized to play for Turkey in May. Birsel Vardarlı also had 11 points for the Turks.

Coach Geno Auriemma has said the US's depth would be key to its success. The Americans played without center Sylvia Fowles for the second straight game because she was resting a sore left foot. She also sat out the team's 52-point win over Angola on Monday night.

The Turks had hung with the Americans for three-quarters of an exhibition game in İstanbul last month before the US pulled away to a 19-point victory.

They had a tougher time on Wednesday against the US, which now has won its last 36 games in the Olympics and is attempting to win a fifth consecutive gold medal.

Next up for the US on Friday is the Czech Republic, which beat Croatia 89-70 for its first win. After playing, practicing and traveling for the last 18 days, the Americans will take Thursday off.

The Americans close out pool play Sunday against China, which is also 3-0 after routing Angola 76-52. China has already clinched a spot in the quarterfinal.

Also on Wednesday, France edged Canada 64-60 to advance to the next round. Russia remained unbeaten with a 67-61 win over Britain. The Russians also advanced to the quarterfinals. Australia rebounded from its first loss to a non-American team in the Olympics since 1996 with a 67-61 victory over Brazil.

Wednesday's results at a glance: France 64, Canada 60; China 76, Angola 52; Australia 67, Brazil 61; Russia 67, Britain 61; Czech Republic 89, Croatia 70; United States 89, Turkey 58.

Friday's fixtures at a glance: Angola vs. Croatia; Russia vs. Australia; Brazil vs. Canada; Turkey vs. China; and France vs. Britain.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-288363-favored-us-womens-team-hands-turkey-first-basketball-defeat.html

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