U.S. women win semifinal against tough Russian team

ATHENS, Greece — Frustrated by fouls, turnovers and a feisty opponent, the United States desperately looked for help.

Along came Sheryl Swoopes.

Swoopes made three big plays at the end — two baskets and another on defense — to help the United States squeeze out a 66-62 semifinal victory over Russia on Friday. Now, only one game stands between the U.S. team and a third straight gold medal — Australia on Saturday.

"We just weathered the storm," Lisa Leslie said. "We showed a lot of heart and stayed together and Swoopes stepped up big at the end."

Australia beat Brazil 88-75 behind Lauren Jackson's 26 points and 13 rebounds. It's a rematch of the gold medal game in Sydney four years ago, when the United States won 76-54.

The Americans know they earned their berth because the game with Russia was neither easy nor pretty. After winning their first six games by an average of 29 points, the Americans found themselves in the rare position of having to fend off an opponent with time running out.

Enter Swoopes, who hadn't made a basket in this game.

With her team clinging to a 60-58 lead, Swoopes buried a jumper from the left wing with 3:54 remaining, just beating the shot clock. She deflected a Russian shot at the other end, then scored again, hitting a 10-footer from the left baseline to make it 64-58 with 3:15 left.

When Lisa Leslie fed Tina Thompson for a layup, it was 66-58 with 2:50 to go, enough of a cushion for the United States to hold on for its 24th straight victory in the Olympics.

That sigh of relief on the sideline came from U.S. coach Van Chancellor, who abandoned his more casual attire for a sharp gray sports coat and black slacks. By the start of the second half, the coat was off and Chancellor rarely sat down.

"Once I let the first one go, it felt really good. I kind of knew that one was going in," said Swoopes, who missed her first five shots and finished 2-for-8. "It felt really good to be able to come through down the stretch because I felt throughout the game I kind of let my teammates down."

Thompson led the United States with 14 points, including a key 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Leslie and Tamika Catchings scored 11 each and Catchings made an absolute pest of herself by poking the ball away, intercepting passes and running down loose balls. She finished with five steals and five rebounds.

Yolanda Griffith added 10 points and seven rebounds.