| Saturday August 26, 2000 USA clobbers Canada again, 90 - 51
Globe and Mail
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Yolanda Griffith said the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team had
a goal for Saturday night's game against Canada.
"Forty minutes of intense basketball, not letting up," she said, turning
to teammate Teresa Edwards.
"Did we do it?" Griffith asked.
Edwards wrinkled her nose. The game was lopsided, with the U.S. team easily
outscoring Canada 90-51.
Griffith had 23 points and nine rebounds and Ruthie Bolton-Holifield added 17 points
in the U.S. team's third victory over Canada in a week.
Canada was led by Dianne Norman of Fredericton, and Stacey Dales, of Brockville,
Ont., who each scored 12 points.
It was Edwards' 200th career game for USA Basketball. When she travels to Sydney, it
will be her fifth Olympics. With three gold medals and one bronze, Edwards is the most
decorated basketball player in Olympic history.
The U.S. team dominated Canada earlier this week in two games in Texas. The United
States won 81-40 Tuesday in San Antonio, and 70-31 Wednesday in Dallas.
Despite the dominance, U.S. coach Nell Fortner said there's room for improvement --
no disrespect to Canada.
"There's definitely work to be done," she said. "When we play Brazil
or we play France -- it will be a different ball game."
Griffith scored 15 points as the United States took a 46-25 lead into the break.
Griffith gave the U.S. team its biggest margin of the half, 30-12, on a pair of free
throws with 7:33 to go.
Canada narrowed it to 38-25 on Dales' three-pointer with just over two minutes to go
in the half, but the Unites States scored the next eight points -- capped by
Bolton-Holifield's running layup as the clock ran down.
The U.S. team put it out of reach in the second half, punctuated by Nikki McCray's
layup on a perfect pass from Dawn Staley with 1:56 left for a 86-46 lead.
The U.S. team will be joined next week in Hawaii by Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 31
points Saturday in the Houston Comets' 79-73 victory over the New York Liberty for the
WNBA championship.
Swoopes finished the season as the league's MVP and leading scorer.
The game in Oakland marked the return of Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton, who played
for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks were defeated by the Comets in the Western
Conference finals.
Leslie got a rousing round of applause from the crowd at the Oakland Arena when she
came in about eight minutes into the first half.
She immediately had an impact, with a layup at 12:03 and a smooth pass to Chamique
Holdsclaw for another basket to put the U.S. team up 20-9 midway through the half. Leslie
finished with eight points.
The loudest crowd reaction came in the second half when a mascot for the Golden
State Warriors threw a ball into the seats -- and a representative for USA Basketball
showed up to take it back from the toddler who had it because it was a game ball.
The action was overwhelmingly booed by the crowd -- and USA Basketball presented the
girl with a new ball and team jersey.
The U.S. team will play Brazil in Oahu on Saturday.
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