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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Olympians easily defeat WNBA team in all-star game

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Lisa Leslie had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Tamika Catchings added 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead the U.S. Olympic team to a 74-58 victory over the WNBA All-Stars on Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall.

The United States outrebounded the All-Stars 62-30, and outscored them 42-22 in the paint and 32-9 on second-chance points. However, the Olympians also committed 28 turnovers.

“Having 20-plus turnovers shows we don’t quite have that chemistry yet,” Leslie said. “It’s our first exhibition game, and we’ll continue to get better. We have to take much better care of the ball and just continue to make that extra pass.”

Tina Thompson scored 11 points, and Yolanda Griffith had 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds — 11 offensive — for the U.S. team, expected to dominate at Athens, heads to Europe this weekend.

“We’re a better basketball team than we were tonight,” U.S. coach Van Chancellor said. “Our defense was excellent. I thought we were championship caliber. Offensively, we have to work and we have to cut this rotation out. I played too many five-at-a-time (substitutions).”

Mwadi Mabika scored 11 points — all in the second half — and Cheryl Ford added 10 for the WNBA All-Stars, who were overmatched by their bigger opponents.

The U.S. team shot 38 percent from the field (30-for-80), including 5-for-19 on 3-pointers. The All-Stars finished at 29 percent (21-for-72), including just 1-for-20 on 3-pointers.

“They played harder than us,” All-Stars coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We couldn’t score. We had lots of open looks. There was nothing that they did to us that stopped us from scoring, except our own missed shots.”

Although the game was played under WNBA rules, the larger international ball — 30.7 inches in circumference, compared to 29 inches used in league play — was used to help the Olympians in their preparation.