Langhorne and Coleman Lead USA Squad to Gold Medal Game in Tunisia
7/25/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 24, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Behind 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting by Crystal Langhorne the USA U19 World Championship Team crushed China 99-68 in semifinal play in Tunis, Tunisia. The USA is now within one victory of claiming the gold medal, something it has done just once (1997) in five previous U19 World Championships.
The USA will meet finalist Serbia & Montenegro in Sunday's gold medal game after Serbia surprised Russia 78-65 in Saturday's other semifinal contest.
The USA and China battled evenly over the game's first 10 minutes. At the end of the first period, the U.S. led by a single point, 24-23.
The U.S. continued to pound it inside to Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Wililngboro), who scored the USA's first six points of the second quarter, the two teams continued to trade baskets and with 7:05 left to go in the second quarter, the score was deadlocked at 30 all.
With the USA owning a 44-33 lead, Nicky Anosike went to the foul line with 9.3 seconds remaining after China's Liu Dan was whistled for her fourth personal foul. Making the first, Anosike missed the second but Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) was there for the rebound and the put back with 5 seconds left. Then, Coleman made a steal on China's inbound pass and hit a 12' jumper at the buzzer to send the Americans to the locker room flying high and leading 49-33.
The second half never saw China get closer than 18 points, as the U.S. expanded its lead to 75-48 after three quarters, then cruised in for the 99-68 win.
The USA made 42 of its 66 shots for a sizzling 63.6 shooting percentage, while China was limited to 27-of-65 (.415 percent) shooting from the floor, and just 6-of-20 (.300 percent) from 3-point.
