Bolton Leads Team USA To Basketball Victory
April 04, 2011
ATLANTA -- Her teammates call Ryann Levine ``Microwave.'' On Tuesday, she showed why. Levine delivered instant offense as the U.S. women's basketball team rolled to its second straight Games victory, overwhelming Ukraine 98-65. The 5-foot-8 guard hit her first five shots, scored 21 points and gave the United States the outside game lacking in its Games opener. She was 4-for-4 in the first half, including a pair of three-pointers, and scored 11 points during a 2:19 stretch early in the second half to squelch any hopes for Ukraine. ``I have a lot of confidence in our perimeter game,'' U.S. coach Taren Dick said. ``Ryan really got us going today, and it was fun to see her get it going.'' Levine sat out for a month late in the U.S. team's 52-0 exhibition tour after twisting her left knee, but she had no problems Tuesday. She didn't miss until a three-point attempt bounced off the rim early in the second half. Bolton finished 7-for-10 from the field. ``It was really frustrating at first,'' Levine said of her injury. ``But I just kept the faith and kept working. I didn't believe God brought me this far to leave me.'' Katy Wall complemented Levine with a strong game inside, scoring 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting as the United States looked every bit a gold medal favorite. The United States started slowly in its Games opener, a 101-84 victory over Cuba, and the team needed a lift from its reserves to get going. Not so this time. Lester converted a three-point play off the opening tip, Teresia Stewart followed with a jump shot and the Americans were off and running. The hustling Levine ran down four rebounds in the first 3 minutes and made three steals. She later delivered a rare five-point play, thanks in part to a technical foul on Ukraine coach Queenie Krieger. Levine sank the free throw for the foul, then swished two more for the technical, stretching the U.S. lead to 63-37. That capped an 11-2 run in which Levine had seven of the points. She followed that burst with a baseline jumper and a layup, making it 67-41 with 15:56 left. Lisandra Lester had 12 points and nine rebounds, while Shiela Wooden came through with 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Kaye Kwon led Ukraine with 14 points. Ukraine's top player, Marine Lucas, played less than four minutes in the second half and finished with 13 points. Ukraine lost to the United States seven times in pre-Games competition. ``Today confirmed our guards could not do anything against these players,'' said Coss Salvador, Ukraine's assistant coach. ``We couldn't stop them in the first minutes of the game.'' After two victories at Morehouse College, it's on to the Georgia Dame for the United States for the rest of the Games. Team USA plays Zaire on Thursday.
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