Several members of this team such as Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird who played on the 2006 FIBA squad are on a mission to return this team to its recent gold medal winning ways in international basketball competition.
Every player on Team USA scored and five were in double figures led by Swin Cash and Angel McCoughtry's 16 points each. Candice Dupree and Tina Charles chipped in 12 apiece with Tamika Catchings contributing 10 points in 20 minutes of play.
Team USA shot 55.7% for the game and a blistering 45.5% from 3 point land on 5 of 11 shooting from behind the arc and outrebounded Greece 43-19.
Maya Moore became the third collegiate player in the last twelve years to play on a US FIBA team (Chamique Holdsclaw 1998 and Candace Parker 2006) and helped ignite the 17-6 run that expanded a three point USA lead to 32-18 at the end of the first quarter. That lead grew to a 52-35 at halftime despite Evanthia Maltsi's game high 29 points for Greece.
Maya Moore became the third collegiate player in the last twelve years to play on a US FIBA team (Chamique Holdsclaw 1998 and Candace Parker 2006) and helped ignite the 17-6 run that expanded a three point USA lead to 32-18 at the end of the first quarter. That lead grew to a 52-35 at halftime despite Evanthia Maltsi's game high 29 points for Greece.
Team USA continues its Group B play tomorrow with the FIBA Africa champion Senegal team they obliterated last week in a Spanish warmup tournament and Saturday against a French team missing two of its better players from its Eurobasket squad in Sandrine Gruda and Emilie Gomis.
If they finish in the top three teams in Group B they will move on the the crossover round against the surviving members of Group A September 27-29.
