USA U21 Women Surge Past Australia 96-73 For Gold Medal

This age group (players born on or after Jan. 1, 1986) closes out its FIBA age-based competition with four gold medals and an undefeated mark of 26-0 in official FIBA and FIBA Americas tournaments after capturing the 2004 FIBA Americas U18 Championship (5-0), 2005 FIBA U19 World Championship (8-0) and 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship (5-0). Additionally, they won gold at the 2005 International Sports Invitational (4-0), earned a 3-0 slate in exhibition play against France this year and split a pair of games against Hungary prior to the �05 U19 Worlds.

The U.S. jetted out on a 15-3 opening run and by the first quarter break the squad, which never trailed in the game, was up 32-21. The United States pounded away inside in the first half, but when Australia�s posts collapsed on the USA�s bread and butter, they kicked it outside. That fueled the USA�s perimeter game, which produced eight 3-pointers in the first half (8-18 3pt FGs) as the U.S. took a 15-point, 55-40 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter saw the Americans pull further away and with 10 minutes to play the lead stood at 75-56 and it seemed the game was in the bag.

However, Australia gave it one final try. As the Americans lagged on defense Australia reeled off 11 points in a little over three minutes to close to within eight points at 6:51.

McCallie called a time out to regroup and remind her squad what they had come for. It worked as Abby Waner (Duke / Highlands Ranch, Colo.) got a steal that led to an Essence Carson (Rutgers / Paterson, N.J.) basket at 6:06, sparking a 10-0 run that included steals from Jolene Anderson (Wisconsin / Port Wing, Wis.) and Langhorne and the U.S. was back in command 85-67. Australia never again had a chance as the Americans closed the game strong for the gold medal victory.

'We just kept our composure, we went inside, things that got us the lead in the first place. We remained calm and just played,' said Candice Wiggins (Stanford / San Diego, Calif.), who scored 14 points in the win, on pushing back Australia�s late surge.

In addition to Langhorne�s 23 points and 14 rebounds, Anderson, DeWanna Bonner (Auburn / Fairfield, Ala.) and Wiggins had 14 each and Carson chipped in 12 points.

For the eighth time in as many days the United States ruled the boards with a 52-31 rebounding advantage.

Jenna O�Hea led Australia with 23 points.

France�s Sandrine Gruda, who was 1-of-8 today in the bronze medal game against Russia, earned the tournament�s MVP trophy.

Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton(Purdue / Naperville, Ill.) injured her left knee in the USA�s semifinal game against Russia and did not play in the gold medal game.

McCallie has been assisted by collegiate head coaches Sam Dixon of Furman University (S.C.), an assistant to McCallie last summer with the 2006 USA U20 National Team, and Arizona State University�s Charli Turner Thorne.