RUS/USA – Wiggins, Team USA brush aside hosts Russia

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VIDNOJE (FIBA U21 World Championship for Women) – Hosts Russia scored the game’s first 13 points but the United States ended up cruising to an 86-61 victory to reach the final.

Less than a year after the Russians stunned the US at senior level in the semi-final of the FIBA World Championship in Brazil for Women, a similar performance looked possible on semi-final day here in Vidnoje.

But Candice Wiggins, Crystal Langhorne and the rest of the American women turned up the pressure on defense and quickly stole the momentum with a devastating run that Russia never recovered from.

Trailing 19-9 with 3:14 remaining in the opening period after a made jump shot by Ekaterina Lisina, a Russian miss from three-point range their next trip down the floor triggered a fast break that finished with Wiggins going in for a lay-up – the first of 22 consecutive points for Joanne P. McCallie’s team.

Langhorne’s jump shot gave the visitors their first lead at 20-19, and she capped off the surge with another jumper with 4:28 still to play in the first half.

Russia stopped the rot when Lisina drilled a jumper, but the Americans opened up a 17-point lead on a Jolene Anderson three-ball before Elena Danilochkina’s jumper made it 40-25 at half-time in favor of the US.

Wiggins then did her best Sugar Ray Leonard imitation and knocked the Russians out with two three-pointers in the first 35 seconds of the third quarter to stretch the lead to 46-25.

Team USA eased home over the final 10 minutes to finish off a remarkably easy triumph. They will take on the winner of the game between Australia and France. 

The defensive pressure told on Russia, who turned the ball over 24 times in the game while the Americans lost possession just 14 times.

McCallie’s team dominated in the rebounding, 53-38.

About the only area in the Americans’ game that could use some improvement on this occasion was their free throw shooting.

They were nine of 20 (45%) for the contest.

But when the margin of victory is 25 points, it doesn’t matter if a team fails to take advantage its opportunities at the charity stripe .

FIBA