Additional Semifinal Quotes >> USA 79, Australia 67

Aug. 19, 2011 • Shenzhen, China

Bill Fennelly, USA head coach (Iowa State University)
On tonight's game:
We played great. Australia was an outstanding team, a big, physical team. Our team played the way a USA Basketball team should play in a semifinal, trying to get to a gold medal game. Elena (Delle Donne) was fantastic from start to finish. Skylar got us organized offensively and defensively, and I thought Lynetta Kizer gave us a great lift off of the bench when Nneka (Ogwumike) got in foul trouble. It was a huge team effort, and it's exciting for this team to know we have the chance to play for a gold medal. They had to earn it, and that's the way it should be.

On the USA's defense:
Overall we were good. I think when we sped the game up a little bit and got going too fast, we turned the ball over and that led to transition baskets for them. When we had an odd line up on the court sometimes defensively we got mixed up, but overall it was great effort.

On the physicality of the game and foul trouble on both sides:
It was a very competitive game, and I think both teams knew they had to play well to win. We kept our poise for the most part. We had to go to a smaller line up because we got in so much foul trouble. Shekinna (Stricklen) did a great job of playing the one, the two, the three and the four when we needed it. We had to mix and match because of foul trouble, and we just tried to keep fresh bodies on the court. That's why you have 12 players, and I thought every single player did something tonight to keep us going and get us to the gold medal game.

On the USA's post players getting Abby Bishop into foul trouble:
That was big. She's a great player. That's a kid that played in the WNBA. We defended her great, and we didn't let her get started, whether it was foul trouble or defense or a little bit of everything. And we made her defend too. We ran plays at her and forced her to defend, not just to draw a foul, but to use some energy. Sometimes that's the best way to make an offensive player less efficient is to make them play defense.

On reaching the gold medal game:
That was a semifinal, and we still have one more to go. The thing I asked them when we first got together back at trials is everything we do, we finish and we finish with class, and we still have to finish.

On playing Taiwan:
We are going to go from the biggest, strongest team we've seen to the shortest, quickest team we've seen. It will be an interesting game, and we have one day to prepare. There are only two teams that have a chance to win a gold medal, and we are one of them.

Elena Delle Donne (University of Delaware)
On her 22 points:
I knew I needed to have a big performance tonight to help us pull out that win, and my teammates were finding me when I was open. I was able to work the versatility a little bit by playing inside and out, so I just felt like I had a really good flow tonight.

On the USA's second half:
I think we wore them down a little bit in the second half, and they were probably a little tired from running up and down with us because we really get out in transition. Also, we were really grabbing rebounds and limiting their second chances.

On the physicality of the game and foul trouble on both sides:
They are a very physical team, and they are a big team. We were competiting to play in the gold medal game, so we knew it was going to be a battle. They played really hard and so did we.

We are very confident in each other and our preparation for these games. We've only been together for three weeks, but it's been a grueling three weeks. We know that we are prepared for these types of games. We played against boys back during training in Colorado, and I feel like that really helped us with handling the pressure and physicality of this game.

Off the court, what is life like in the village?
It's been great. We hang out with other teams. Great Britain has been coming down and hanging out on our level, playing cards, eating lunch together, things like that. So, it's a lot of fun just experiencing this whole thing. It's an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Skylar Diggins (University of Notre Dame)
On tonight's game:
Agaist a great team like that, I think you have to find another level. They are very smart team, they play hard and they are going to run the court. I think we all had to find another level within ourselves today and really put forth the most effort that we've had to so far in this tournament.

On the USA's second half effort:
Throughout the tournament coach has always said our third quarter is our worst quarter, so I think we wanted to really pull away. With us only being up by four points, we were very uncomfortable with that lead. We wanted to stretch it out and really try to push the first couple minutes of the second half to get us going. And then off the bench, we had great energy and intensity to help us maintain that lead. Luckily the time ran off the clock because they are a smart team, and they are very capable of coming back. We were just glad we were able to hold on.

On the physicality of the game:
They are the most physical team here, and we just tried to match that. When you are competing like that, it's going to get physical down low with their best players being their post players. We knew it was going to be a banging contest, but I thought our bigs did a good job.

What are your thoughts on Taiwan in the gold medal game?
We are all excited to be able to compete for a gold medal. Australia was a team that was looking to beat us, and they were very capable of doing that, so we are ecstatic about this win and obvioulsy excited to play a good team in Taiwan. The crowd is going to be very loud and on their side. Taiwan is another very smart team, and they know each other well. They do a great job of driving and kicking and really getting to the basket and pushing in transition. We just have to make sure that we lock down on defense. We need to talk and match up and use our size advantage inside.

Off the court, what is life like in the village?
It's nice being able to meet other people and other teams, and everyone is so friendly. We haven't really talked with the Americans all that much, I think we've spent most of our time communicating with other countries, which is fun. Going to watch the volleyball team was nice, obviously. In the Internet cafe you meet people, in the dining hall you meet people, and even in our building we meet different people. It's a lot of hanging out. We've gone to the market a few times, and a few Italian guys and a couple of guys from Namibia were with us. We're hoping we can go back after practice tomorrow and do some more shopping tomorrow on our day off.

Natalie Novosel (University of Notre Dame)
On tonight's game:
We came in after four games that had been blowouts, so we had to refocus against one of the best teams here. It came back down to the fundamentals of running our sets and playing defense, and that's how we beat them. We battled every minute, and every possession mattered tonight. We went in there and made some big shots. People stepped up tonight, and we were able to get the victory.

On the USA's second half effort:
We knew it was going to be a close game, and at halftime we wanted to come out and make a statement. I think that was really what was the key to the game.

What are your thoughts on Taiwan in the gold medal game?
It feels unbelievable to reach the gold medal game. Coach told us that Taiwan will be the exact opposite of the team we played tonight. They are going to be really quick, and they never stop moving on offense. We need to be fundamental on defense and just play our heart out.

Off the court, what is life like in the village?
Village life has been a lot of fun. In a way, there isn't a lot to do, so we've been playing cards and just exploring the village.

Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford University)
On tonight's game:
We had to fight for it. They were strong, bigger than us, physical, but we had more heart, more energy, more purpose. When it came down to it, we executed and made plays. I'm proud of our team and super excited for the gold medal game on Sunday.

On the USA's second half effort:
Usually it takes time to get a read on teams, and it took us a bit against Australia. We knew we had to turn it up, and when we turned it up a notch, it was a matter of maintaing that level of energy and excitement about each play and every possession. Once that happened I knew we were good and we just had to keep working hard every possession, and it worked out for us.

On the physicality of the game:
Bless the officials because we were both in there fighting. Australia plays a different style of basketball than us, and some of the things they do, like the way they set screens and they way the cut through the paint, are different than what we have seen. We struggled with that, and they struggled with the way we played inside and our post presence. Luckily, none of us fouled out, and I think that is a testiment to our poise.

On the post play:
I think the big girls on both sides almost neutralized each other, and our guards went to work. Elena (Delle Donne) and Skylar (Diggins) took it to the rim and were aggressive.

What are your thoughts on Taiwan in the gold medal game?
They are the most efficient team I have seen here. They are quick, they finish and they stay steady. Knowing us, we have to come out strong, really make defensive stops and rebound. We have a size advantage, but that doesn't mean anything to them. We just have to be ready, and we have to bring home the gold medal.

Off the court, what is life like in the village?
We've had a great time mingling with other teams from different countries, just getting to know people and watching other sports. We've watched volleyball, we hope to watch water polo and track coming up, so we've been having a great time. We've gotten to see the city of Shenzhen, which is beautiful -- so many people and they are all smiling at us, wishing us well. So, we've had a blast here Shenzhen.