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WBK: USA Women Advance To World University Games Gold Medal Game
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 07/09/2009


Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Jantel Lavender grabbed six rebounds to go with her five points.

BELGRADE, Serbia - Down 13-9 with 4:53 remaining in the first quarter, the 2009 USA Women's World University Games Team (6-0) launched a 25-0 run that established an insurmountable U.S. lead and helped propel the USA past Australia (4-2) 81-66 on Thursday evening in Belgrade, Serbia.
The USA advances undefeated to the 2009 World University Games gold medal game, where it will meet the winner of also unbeaten Russia (6-0) and Czech Republic (4-2) at 3:00 p.m. (9:00 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, July 11 at Belgrade Arena. The loser of the Russia versus Czech Republic game will face Australia in the bronze medal contest at 12:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m. EDT).

"I think we came out, got a little run and then we let up," said USA and Arizona State University head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "As a coach I don't understand that. We always want everybody to go out and work hard every possession. You have to credit Australia. They're a tough, physical team. They play hard every possession. Our team can learn from that. We take possessions off and every time we took a possession off in the second half, they capitalized."

The red, white and blue was led by Danielle McCray (Kansas / Olathe, Kan.) with 15 points and five rebounds; Tina Charles (Connecticut / Jamaica, N.Y.) tallied a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double; and Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma / San Jose, Calif.), who dished out a game-high four assists, and Alexis Gray-Lawson (California / Oakland, Calif.), who shot 4-of-5 from the field and grabbed five rebounds, each contributed 10 points.

WBK: USA Women Advance To World University Games Gold Medal Game - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com