Additional Quotes >> USA 71, Australia 67

USA head coach Anne Donovan
On the game:
Definitely (these two teams) bring out the best in each other. I think the familiarity for our players with Australia for us, both in the WNBA and internationally when they play in the leagues in the winter, I think they just know each other very well. The top level athlete is so competitive, and they have so much pride, that it wouldn't matter if they were playing for marbles. I think they'd go just as hard. This was great to see, and it was great preparation. Absolutely the best preparation we could have going into next week.

If you look at the history of our game, Russia, Australia and the United States, we've been the medal winners for a long time at the major competitions, so expect nothing less. I think we (all) know that Russia is not going away. Just because the (USA and Australia) are sitting here now doesn't mean that Russia has gone off into the darkness, we know that they are going to come back strong as well.

On the tournament overall:
This tournament was everything we hoped it would be, playing the best teams in the world. I thought it was a great battle with Australia, and nobody expected anything less than that. Congratulations to Australia because I thought they played very well. (The fans here) saw great basketball that is going to continue in Beijing. It was a great set up for next week, which is what counts.

On Lisa Leslie's role on the team:
As a four-time Olympian and somebody who's had major international experience at every level, she is one of our co-captains along with Katie Smith, and we rely on Lisa for so much. More than anything for her experience and just how she can lead this team. She understands what it is going to take to win. And the secondly, she's just a great presence. We missed her in the World Championships, we missed her experience, we missed her athleticism and her presence, so it's great to have her back in the mix. The younger players really look to Lisa and are learning from her every day.

Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
On the game:
Tonight was a tough one. Australia is a very very good team and we were fortunate to pull it out. We've only had five, six practices together, this was our third game as a unit and we've gotten better every game. That's a good sign. We still have eight more to go but as long as we continue to get better, get after it out there and work towards our talent, I think we'll be okay.

On competing against friends like Australia's Lauren Jackson:
The good thing about being a women's basketball player is you play all over the world year-round and you make a lot of friends. With that being said, there probably isn't a game, whether it's the WNBA, overseas or in the Olympics where I'm not playing against a friend and vice versa. You kind of get use to it. When you step out on the court you play, when you step off it's over.

On the team's veteran leadership mixed with the younger players:
We have a great mix. We have the veterans who have two, three, for Lisa, she's a four-time Olympian. Then we have people like myself, Diana, we're not exactly rookies but it's our first time playing big minutes. And then you have the rookies who haven't really been here yet but it really adds to everything. Their energy really adds to the veterans' leadership and it works all the way through. We have a good mix and hopefully we can keep it going.

On the close gap between the USA and the rest of the world:
There's a lot of great basketball players out there today. In Australia you have Penny Taylor and Lauren Jackson, two of the best players in the world. And they really compliment that with the rest of their players: Kristi Harrower, Belinda Snell, you can go down the list. They're very, very good. The same can be said for Russia. China has continued to get better and better. So yes, the gap as people like to call it is closing. But it just makes it even better when you do win and are standing on the podium at the end.

Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks)
On remaining coachable:
I don't think you ever get too much experience. The coaches can see what's going on, obliviously where the double team was coming from. They weren't doubling, but they definitely were sagging a little bit. I think I probably could have passed the ball out and re-posted. It's great to get help, especially from Dawn (Staley).

You don't seem to be slowing down at all. Is that how you feel?
At times. I felt pretty good tonight, but like I said it was a great team effort. I thought our team just fought hard. We weren't going to be denied. But it is just rehearsal. We feel good about the win, but now it's 0-0, and we would like to win it when it counts.

What does this team need to do before the Olympics?
We just need to continue to improve every day. Practice, watch video and improve from our mistakes, just get out there and do better every time. But I think we are very encouraging, and we don't care about who makes the basket. Very unselfish, and that's the way we are going to win.

Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
On the game:
It was a hard-fought game. Obviously, we are both teams that put a lot of pressure on defense and force teams into doing things that they don't want to do. The first half, the whole game really, was a very defensive game.

On playing in China:
It's a great place to play. I've really enjoyed myself since I've been here. I have never had a chance to come to China and play, and it's great. They really have embraced women's basketball here, and coming to the games and things like that. Obliviously, it was great to come in here and win the pre-tournament for the Olympics and leave on a good note to go to Beijing.

Did this game give the USA confidence that it can win the gold medal?
I think this was a great pre-Olympic tournament for us. Obviously, Australia won the (FIBA) World Championship, and we were disappointed about losing that. This was great confidence for us going into the Olympics, but this was a pre-tournament. Our goal is to win the gold medal.

Katie Smith (Detroit Shock)
On the physical nature of USA - Australia games:
That's their style. We can play a combination of styles. But with Australia, that's what you're going to get. They play hard on both ends of the floor. You're going to get hit, they set good picks. They don't quit. So this was a great test for us. I'm glad we had this tournament. I think we've come a long ways, but it's also shown us some things that we need to improve upon.

On the USA's growth over the past week of training and competition:
Obviously we've come a long ways, just getting on the floor together. Everybody's been really tuned in as to what we need to accomplish, especially on the defensive end, really locking in and doing what they've asked of us. Even the adjustments we've gone over from game one to game two to this one, we've made them. That's a positive sign. Offensively we haven't run a whole lot but we'll tighten up our offense and have a lot more options, throw a lot more things at people. I think everybody's looking forward to being in one spot. We're excited to get to Beijing, get settled, unpack, unwind, try and get into a routine and get the real deal going. This was nice but we want the real thing.

Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
On the game:
Today was more of a fight than a basketball game (laughing). Two teams that really want to win, that are very good. Australia is a very good team. They are the world champions, so I think they are still the favorites going into Beijing.

On the team's improvement:
The great thing about our team is we can get a lot better. We're only going to concentrate on ourselves and getting better every single day. These three games showed us a lot, and we proved that we can win playing really well and when we are struggling a little bit. It was a great effort tonight by all 12 people.