Fast Break
Basketball
U.S. wins gold at FIBA U19 Worlds
Monica Wright and Maya Moore scored 19 points apiece to lead the United States to a 99-57 win over Sweden and capture the FIBA U19 World Championship Sunday in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The U.S. jumped out to a 21-5 lead five minutes into the game behind Wright’s six points and Moore’s five points.
Spokane’s Angie Bjorklund (pictured) made 3 of 4 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Moore also had 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jantel Lavender added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Vicki Baugh contributed nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
“You want every team you coach to peak at the right time, and I think we did that,” USA coach Doug Bruno said. “We really put everything together at medal time. I think for sure that was their best 40 minutes of basketball since we’ve been together.”
Serbia held off a late run from Spain to earn a 52-50 victory and the bronze medal.
Basketball
Iran earns Olympic berth
Iran’s basketball team won a spot in the Beijing Olympics, defeating Lebanon 74-69 Sunday in the final of the FIBA Asia Championship at Tokushima, Japan.
Iran, playing in its first Asia Championship final, was the only team from the 16-nation tournament to earn a place in the 2008 Summer Games.
Lebanon and South Korea could advance to Beijing through a qualifying tournament in July 2008. Earlier Sunday, South Korea defeated Kazakhstan 80-76 to win the bronze medal.
Hamed Ehadadi led Iran with 31 points. Lebanon’s Omar ElTurk hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left to cut Iran’s lead to 70-68, but Ehadadi’s jump shot with 20 seconds left gave Iran a 72-68 lead.
Fishing
Suggs first angler to win $1 million
Scott Suggs had just become the first person to win $1 million in a bass fishing tournament when he was asked what he would do with the money.
Fittingly, his plans involve water.
“Well, we built the new house a couple years ago and we did not build a pool,” Suggs said. “My little girl’s getting a pool.”
Suggs won the Forrest Wood Cup on Sunday at Hot Springs, Ark., finishing with a two-day total of 17 pounds, 1 ounce. The winning purse was $500,000, plus a $500,000 bonus if the champion owned a qualifying Ranger boat. Suggs earned the full million in what was billed as the most lucrative bass fishing tournament.
The Forrest Wood Cup is part of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
He entered the final day in the lead at 11 pounds, but added only 6 pounds, 1 ounce on Sunday. He then had to sit and wait as the other nine finalists weighed their fish.
Nobody came close. Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., ended up at 12-8 and won $100,000 for finishing second.