July 20, 2000 TAIPEI, Taiwan - University of Washington guard Loree Payne totaled 11 points and four assists, and Connecticut's Shea Ralph added 14 points and three steals as the USA cruised to its fourth consecutive win, recording a 79-24 victory over Malaysia (0-4) to win the gold medal Thursday at the 2000 Women's R. William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan. Japan (3-1) upended host Republic of China 60-50 to claim second place, China (2-2) placed third, Korea (1-3) finished fourth and Malaysia was fifth. Payne finshed the tournament with 16 points, three rebounds, and four assists in three games played. The USA women have now collected a total of nine gold medals, four silver medals and four bronze medals in their 19 Jones Cup competitions, and have compiled an overall record of 114-22 (.838). Featuring a balanced scoring attack, for the second game of the tournament, four U.S. players came off the bench to score in double figures, while starter Marie Ferdinand (Louisiana State / Miami, Fla.) quickly earned 10 points in 10 minutes of play. "I had a wonderful time," said Ralph. "It was a great experience. The players on the team were fun on and off the court. I can't think of a better way to spend my summer than winning a gold medal." Deanna Jackson (Alabama - Birmingham) shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, finishing with 13 points and three assists. Chantelle Anderson (Vanderbilt / Vancouver, Wash.) had a strong game, scoring 12 on 6-of-7 shooting. The U.S. opened the game with an 8-0 run and Malaysia was never a threat. Finishing the half holding a 38-14 advantage, the USA's hot shooting continued as the Americans started the second half with a 10-0 run and coasted in for the lopsided 79-24 win. With Michelle Snow's (Tennessee / Pensacola, Fla.) team-leading 11 rebounds, plus Camille Cooper's (Purdue / Georgetown, Ky.) 10, the U.S. easily outrebounded Malaysia, 45-18. The U.S. shot 54.0 percent (34-63 FGs) from the field compared to Malaysia's dismal 19.1 percent (9-47 FGs). Angela Zampella (St. Joseph's / Hoboken, N.J.) had a team-high six assists. "It is exciting to finish 4-0. It has been a great experience from the first practice to the gold medal game," said head coach Bonnie Henrickson (Virginia Tech). "This team is very unselfish and has great chemistry. The overall experience will help us prepare for the next step of playing the U.S. Women's Senior National Team." The team will reassemble on Aug. 29 in Honolulu, Hawaii, to begin training for a Sept. 3 exhibition game against the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team. The contest, held at the University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center, will be nationally televised on ESPN2 and will be the final domestic exhibition game for the USA Senior National Team before it leaves for Australia to complete its preparations for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In four games of competition, the USA outshot its' opponents 53.6 percent to 32.9 percent, and won its four games by a margin of 28.5 points a game. Ralph finished as the leading scorer averaging 12.0 ppg., and was followed by Ferdinand's 11.8 ppg., Kelly Schumacher (Connecticut / Quyon, Canada) at 9.8 ppg. and Jackson with 9.5 ppg. Led by the efforts of Cooper and Schumacher, 7.3 rebounds per game each, the U.S. outrebounded its' opponents by a whopping margin of 27.8 rebounds a game. Sue Bird (Connecticut / Syosset, N.Y.) and Zampella led the squad in assists with 17 and 16 respectively. Ralph and Ferdinand both had a team-high seven steals and Schumacher blocked five shots over four games. USA Basketball veterans Cooper and Brooke Wyckoff (Florida State / West Chester, Ohio) were selected co-captains for the USA.
2000 Women's R. William Jones Cup Standings:
2000 Women's R. William Jones Cup Results:
*Monday, July 17
*Tuesday, July 18
*Wednesday, July 19
*Thursday, July 20 |
