COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland's Crystal Langhorne, Laura Harper and the USA U21 Women's Basketball team capture the gold medal at the FIBA U21 World Championship in Russia on Sunday, defeating Australia, 96-73. Langhorne posted her third double-double of the tournament in the championship game, leading all scorers with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

The match was a rematch of the opening game of the championship, where the Americans overcame a 16-point deficit to beat the Aussies, 90-88, on June 29. The Americans dominated the boards in the title tilt, outrebounding the Australians, 52-31.

Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) and Laura Harper (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) have both been integral members of the U21 team. They helped the U.S. to a 5-0 record in group play, before helping the team win three straight to reach the gold medal match.

The U.S. cruised to victory over Belgium, 104-53, in the quarterfinals on the strength of Langhorne's 11 points and six rebounds. Harper contributed three points and 10 rebounds, helping the team advance to the semifinals where it topped Russia, 86-81, despite trailing by 13 points. Langhorne had her second double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Harper added eight points and five boards.

A two-time All-American at Maryland, Langhorne led the U.S. in scoring three times in the tournament and was the team's high-rebounder in four games. Harper, who was the NCAA Final Four MVP in 2006, had nine boards in the rout of Japan in group play on July 4, which tied for the team lead.

A starter in all eight games, Langhorne's 15.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game were the best on the USA U21 World Championship team, which also includes All-American's Courtney Paris of Oklahoma and Candice Wiggins of Stanford. She also shot a team-best 69.9 percent from the field. Harper also saw playing time in every game, posting 7.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg. She was the team's top shot blocker with six and was third with 10 steals.

It is the second-career gold medal for Langhorne and Harper at an international event. Langhorne won gold at the FIBA U19 World Championships in 2005, where she was also named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Harper won gold as a member of the 2004 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Team.

Langhorne and Harper, who enter their senior year at Maryland in the fall, are two of four starters returning from last year's 28-6 squad. The Terps tip off the 2007-08 campaign against Princeton in the WNIT, which opens on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in Comcast Center. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

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