Weng’an, China – The NetScouts Basketball USA All-Stars stayed undefeated and won their eighth game in a row tonight, defeatingPoland 80-71 in a hard-fought contest. The Polish came into the night riding high on confidence after blowing out host China yesterday, and quickly built a double digit lead with staunch defense, transition offense, and offensive rebounding. The first quarter ended with the USA down 29-15.
However, the USA All-Stars settled in on defense and shared the ball to create better shots, subsequently limiting the Polish fast break opportunities. Taylor Proctor of USF and Moriah Faulk of Fresno State each hit a big three-pointer to cap off the USA run and pull them in front heading into halftime at 41-40.
Dominant offensive rebounding triggered a big third period by the USA to create a comfortable lead down the stretch. The Americans would finish with 24 offensive rebounds on the night and out-rebounded the lengthy Poles 56-48 overall.
Zhane Dikes played incredibly well tonight on offense and defense to keep the USA steady throughout. The USF grad finished with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and also had six rebounds and five assists to only one turnover. She pressured the Polish guards all night to disrupt their offense. With a 12 point lead after three quarters, the USA would cruise through the fourth period for the nine-point victory. The All-Stars play their final game of the Tour tomorrow night against China, hoping to go a perfect 9-0.
NetScouts Basketball USA All-Stars
Ariana Elegado (Cal Poly) 1 point, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Zhane Dikes (San Francisco) 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Tear’a Laudermill (Nebraska/Finland) 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Brittany Shine (Florida/Cal) 9 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Moriah Faulk (UCLA/Fresno State) 7 points, 7 rebounds
Taylor Proctor (San Francisco) 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Toni Smith (Fresno State) 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
Morgan Bailey (BYU/Portugal) 13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Jamee Swan (Colorado) 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
Jordan Sullivan (Montana/Denmark) 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Media inquiries can be directed to Carl Berman at carl@netscoutsbasketball.com.
Information on NetScouts Basketball can be obtained here. Detailed articles on the tour will be found on the NetScouts Basketball Blog. Email carl@netscoutbasketball.com to get on the mailing list for tour related articles, information and photos
