Bad news for the other teams vying for the gold medal in women’s basketball.
“I don’t think you’ve seen our best play yet,” Katie Smith of the defending champion U.S. team said after Friday night’s 93-42 thrashing of New Zealand. “Maybe in spurts, but not for a whole game.”
New Zealand is fielding a women’s basketball team in the Olympics for the first time, but the U.S. team was impressive nonetheless.
“We’re still working on getting better in this tournament and, hopefully, we’ll peak at the perfect moment,” U.S. center Natalie Williams said.
The United States (4-0) clinched at least a tie for first place in its preliminary group.
New Zealand (0-4) had a flag-waving crowd in its favor but little else. The New Zealanders, who lost their first three games by an average of 27 points, trailed by as many as 52 after being down at halftime 47-17.
The 42 points were the fewest allowed by a U.S. women’s basketball team in the Olympics. There had been three previous instances of an opponent scoring 47 points, most recently Zaire in a 107-47 loss to the U.S. in 1996.
Every U.S. player scored. Smith led the way with 14 points.
“I think this team has some improvements it can make and will make, and I think we can get better,” Smith said.
Ruthie Bolton-Holifield and Williams each scored 13 points, while DeLisha Milton and Lisa Leslie had 12 apiece. Chicagoan Yolanda Griffith scored 11. The Americans are eager to get to the medal round.
“You work so hard and you want to say, `Let’s get down to the bread and butter,'” Smith said. “We’ve got one more game [in pool play] and that’s when the business starts.”
The United States closed the half with a 29-6 run, starting it with a 9-0 burst that included a circus pass by Edwards. The veteran Olympian pushed a one-handed feed the length of the court and hit Smith in stride for a layup.
“I think our defense was sharper than the previous three games,” Griffith said.
The New Zealanders tried not to be awed, noting their U.S. counterparts were “only human.” But they knew they had been outclassed.
“It’s like their men. It’s like playing first-division men,” New Zealand captain Kirstin Daly said after going scoreless. “It’s an honor to be on the court with them.”
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In other games, France stayed unbeaten with a 73-70 overtime win against Brazil, South Korea (2-2) beat Russia 75-73, Slovakia won its first game with a 68-52 victory over Canada, and Poland topped Cuba 72-65.