(22 July 1996; Day 03)
Two medal favorites are set to do battle on Tuesday when the United States and Ukraine meet in women's basketball competition at the 1996 Olympic Games. Both squads are competing in Group B and each recorded wins in their first games on Sunday.
Team USA will enter the game with a true national team that has played together for over a year. During that time, the USA women have recorded an unblemished 53-0 record, including 15 meetings against the Ukraine team.
"I realize that America hasn't lost in a long time," said Ukrainian coach Volodymyr RYZHOV. "Ukraine played the United States 15 times and lost every single one. You know that America has a very strong team with few weaknesses. We learned a lot about them in those 15 games and we will see what happens tomorrow."
In the United States' first game of these Centennial Olympic Games, center Lisa LESLIE scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the second half to lead USA to a 101-84 win over Cuba. The talent on the USA squad was evident throughout the game. Particularly flashy were the many no-look passes of point guard Dawn STALEY (USA).
"I think that Dawn STALEY really made some fans for women's basketball against Cuba with her passes and her play," said Tara VanDERVEER, head coach of the United States women's basketball squad. "She is a heady player; she really looks for people. I definitely thought she gave us a spark, but she has been doing that for us all year. Dawn made some plays against Cuba that really got the crowd involved."
Atlanta, Georgia (USA) native Teresa EDWARDS is the first American basketball player, male or female, to compete in four Olympic Games. She is also looking to become the first player to win three basketball gold medals.
While the talent for the United States goes on and on, the talent on the Ukrainian national squad is deep as well. Ukraine, playing in its first-ever Olympic Games, features several of the 1992 Unified Team members who won the gold medal in Barcelona. This Ukrainian team won the 1995 European Championships by defeating powerhouse teams Italy and Russia.
Marina TKATCHENKO (UKR), one of the leaders for the Ukraine team, was the fifth-leading scorer at the European Championships. In Sunday's opening game, she led the team with 27 points in an 81-65 win over Zaire. Teammate Yelena ZHIRKO (UKR), also a former Unified Team player, is expected to join TKATCHENKO (UKR) in a quest for a second gold medal.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Wayne White.
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| More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined. |