University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
U.S. Women Take Home Bronze Medal at Jones Cup
7/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 18, 2007
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- - Five players scored in double figures as the U.S. claimed a bronze medal with an 83-72 victory over Chinese Taipei (A) on the final day of the 2007 Women's William Jones Cup held Tuesday night at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
Led by Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer, Team USA (4-2) tied for second place with Chinese Taipei-B (4-2), while the Australian National Team completed the tournament with an undefeated 6-0 record in pool play. It marked the fifth silver medal for the U.S. at the Jones Cup coupled with nine gold medals and four bronze medals won since 1977.
Leading the way for Team USA was Baylor's Rachel Allison who notched a team-high 13 points and 10 rebounds against Chinese Taipei. Oklahoma's Leah Rush, George Washington's Sarah-Jo Lawrence and Arizona State's Briann January each poured in 12, while Iowa State's Heather Ezell added 11. January dished out a game-high six assists and seven steals for the game.
Texas A&M's La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) grabbed nine of the team's 50 rebounds and averaged 7.4 points and 6.8 rebounds over the course of the seven-day tournament. She recorded double digits with 10 points versus New Zealand (2-4) on July 16 and a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds against Japan (0-6) on July 13. Micheaux is one of five returning starters to the A&M lineup for the upcoming 2007-08 season.
After leading 43-34 at halftime, the U.S. jumped out to an early 14-point lead in the second half of play. Chinese Taipei later trimmed that lead down to as many as two, 64-62, connecting on 6-of-9 three-pointers in front of its home crowd. Ultimately, the contest was won on the boards as the U.S. outrebounded Chinese Taipei, 50-23, with 27 coming on the offensive end of the glass. Team USA shot 35 percent from the floor (22-of-62), while Chinese Taipei shot 47 percent (17-of-36).
"I thought we showed tremendous courage and heart today," Schaefer said. "Our kids were able to survive in a very hostile environment against a highly-motivated team. Down the stretch, our team would not be denied. It is one thing to play for a gold medal knowing that if you don't win it, you are still going to get silver. It is another thing to know you are playing for one medal and you have to win. We were a little tentative at times, but in the end, we found a way to get it done and we showed tremendous character in the process."
Athletes In Action, an associate member of USA Basketball, sponsored this year's U.S. Jones Cup Team. The tour to Taiwan is just one of many for AIA. Between May and August, hundreds of college student-athletes and AIA staff travel the world to play competitive games, run clinics and attend sports camps. Each opportunity is used to share the matchless love of Jesus Christ as well as to teach the athletes how to be lifetime ministers of the gospel.
"Shine His light has been our motto for most of the tournament and today, it was very bright," Schaefer said. "These young people have accomplished an incredible task. They played in a highly-competitive tournament field versus veteran teams that have been playing with each other for years. It (our silver medal performance) is proof that all things are possible through Christ. I am blessed that I was able to come along for the ride, because it has been an incredible 17 days."
The U.S. last fielded a Jones Cup Team in 2000 and brought home gold. The 12-player U.S. roster included former and current collegiate players selected by Schaefer and the AIA staff. Colorado's Jackie McFarland, Southern Mississippi's Kendra Reed, North Carolina A&T's Brittany Taylor-James, Colorado State's Angie (Gorton) Nelp and Kentucky's Katie Vieth rounded out this year's Jones Cup Team. Schaefer, an associate head coach at his alma mater since 2003, was assisted on the sidelines by Oklahoma City University head coach Rob Edmisson and Texas A&M senior forward Katy Pounds (Shallowater, Texas).
"My staff has been outstanding," Schaefer said. "Rob and Katy are absolutely incredible coaches. They handled their assignments with professionalism and enthusiasm. Not only is Oklahoma City University lucky to have Rob as a coach, but even luckier to have Rob the person. He is a veteran and has been in many situations throughout his coaching career. His expertise was invaluable. Katy was outstanding in her first coaching assignment on a pretty big stage. Her insight came from first-hand experience as a player in our system at Texas A&M. This experience will be invaluable to her both as a player and as a coach in the years to come."
2007 WILLIAM JONES CUP
USA 83, CHINESE TAIPEI (A) 72
July 16, 2007 - 5:30 p.m.
Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium
at Taipei, Taiwan
BOX SCORE - U.S. (4-2) JANUARY, Briann 3-7 3-4 12; LAWRENCE, Sarah-Jo 5-16 2-4 12; PLAYER, Jhasmin 2-4 4-4 8; ALLISON, Rachel 6-11 1-3 13; RUSH, Leah 2-5 2-2 12; EZELL, Heather 0-3 2-2 11; MICHEAUX, La Toya 1-5 1-5 3; McFARLAND, Jackie 2-4 1-2 5; Reed, Kendra 0-1 0-0 0; TAYLOR-JAMES, Brittany 1-4 3-3 5; NELP, Angie 0-2 2-2 2. TOTALS 22-62 21-31 83.
USA............................. 43 40 - 83
Chinese Taipei (A) ....... 34 38 - 72
3-point goals - 6-15 (EZELL, Heather 3-8). Rebounds - 50 (ALLISON, Rachel 10). Assists - 14 (JANUARY, Briann 6).
U.S. WOMEN IN POSITION TO MEDAL AFTER 81-60 WIN OVER NEW ZEALAND
TAIPEI, Taiwan - The U.S. women turned in another strong performance with an 81-60 win over New Zealand in tournament pool play at the 2007 Women's William Jones Cup held Monday night at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
It marked the team's third-straight victory after opening the tournament 0-2 versus the defending world champion Australian National Team and Chinese Taipei (B). Team USA is currently in third place and has put itself in position to medal behind Australia (5-0) and Chinese Taipei-B (4-1) in the overall team standings.
Oklahoma's Leah Rush led the U.S. with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds, while George Washington's Sarah-Jo Lawrence added 13 points and nine rebounds to the winning effort. Texas A&M's La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) shot 66 percent from the floor (4-of-6) to round out all players in double figures with 10. Micheaux, a Big 12 Conference All-Defensive Team selection this past season, also made one of the team's five blocked shots for the game.
Team USA played well on defense and held New Zealand to just 29 percent (14-of-48) shooting from the floor and outrebounded their opponents by a margin of 45-28. The U.S. weathered first-half foul trouble by going to its bench for much-needed offense. Arizona State's Briann January contributed 11 points, while Colorado's Jackie McFarland and Iowa State's Heather Ezell each had seven.
"We were able to really get out and run in transition against New Zealand," Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer said. "We shared the basketball as well as any team I have coached in quite some time. It was fun to watch us make the extra pass on several occasions which led to easy layups in transition. Our perimeter defense is forcing people further and further out. Tonight, New Zealand was pushed out extremely far on the floor and had a hard time running their many sets."
This is the first year for the U.S. Women's Jones Cup Team to be sponsored by Athletes In Action which is an associate member of USA Basketball. The United States last fielded a Jones Cup team in 2000 and has brought home nine gold medals, four silver medals and four bronze medals since 1977. Schaefer is being assisted on the sidelines by Oklahoma City head coach Rob Edmisson and Texas A&M senior forward Katy Pounds (Shallowater, Texas).
"The confidence level of our entire team is extremely high right now," Schaefer said. "We will play for a medal tomorrow and that is exciting. Give our kids all the credit in the world, because they have played their way into medal contention after starting off 0-2. They are incredible and God has really made an impact with the way these kids are playing. The light is bright in this team."
The U.S. (3-2) will close out tournament play tomorrow against Chinese Taipei-A (2-3) at 5:30 p.m. local time. The Chinese Taipei (A) squad is coming off an 83-65 victory over the Chinese Taipei (B) squad on Monday. Other countries participating in the seven-team tournament include Korea (2-3), New Zealand (2-3) and Japan (0-6).
2007 WILLIAM JONES CUP
USA 81, NEW ZEALAND 60
July 16, 2007 - 5:30 p.m.
Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium
at Taipei, Taiwan
BOX SCORE - U.S. (3-2) LAWRENCE, Sarah-Jo 4-9 5-6 13; RUSH, Leah 7-13 4-6 21; EZELL, Heather 0-3 1-2 7; PLAYER, Jhasmin 2-8 0-0 4; MICHEAUX, La Toya 4-6 2-5 10; JANUARY, Briann 3-4 2-2 11; McFARLAND, Jackie 3-5 1-1 7; Reed, Kendra 1-2 0-0 2; ALLISON, Rachel 0-2 4-4 4; NELP, Angie 0-0 0-0 0; TAYLOR-JAMES, Brittany 0-2 2-2 2; COLLINS, Kaite 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS 24-55 21-28 81.
USA............................. 38 43 - 81
New Zealand ....... 30 30 - 60
3-point goals - 4-14 (EZELL, Heather 2-8). Rebounds - 45 (RUSH, Leah 15). Assists - 10 (PLAYER, Jhasmin 3).
MICHEAUX REGISTERS DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN U.S. VICTORY OVER KOREA, 94-68
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Texas A&M's La Toya Micheaux turned in a double-double performance as the U.S. defeated Korea, 94-68, in tournament pool play at the 2007 Women's William Jones Cup held Saturday afternoon at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
Micheaux, a junior center from Missouri City, Texas, registered 14 points and 15 rebounds versus the Korean National Team. She shot 6-of-14 from the floor with an array of post and spin moves in the lane. Micheaux also dominated in the paint versus a Korean post player who participated in WNBA training camp for the Phoenix Mercury in May.
The U.S. raced out to a steady 52-37 halftime lead behind the first-half scoring production of Baylor's Jhasmin Player, Iowa State's Heather Ezell and Micheaux. Transition offense was key for Team USA as they went up against a very aggressive man defense presented by the Korean National Team. Player recorded a game-high tying 19 points while also bringing down eight rebounds. She also contributed two steals and two blocks in the winning cause for the U.S.
"It was another fun day for the American team," said Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer, who is serving on his first international coaching assignment as U.S. Jones Cup head coach. "It is good to see our team playing with a lot of confidence. Our players are hitting their stride and really playing well with each other. Team chemistry is important with any team and this one is starting to really gel. They are fun to watch and coach."
Baylor's Rachel Allison had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Ezell added 18 points and two assists with zero turnovers at the point guard position. For the second-straight contest, the U.S. outrebounded the opposition by a margin of 53-15, with 24 coming on the offensive end versus Korea. Oklahoma's Leah Rush got into foul trouble early in the first half and ended the game with four points and four rebounds.
"Our day off tomorrow is probably coming at the right time," Schaefer said. "Our kids have really laid it on the line the past four days against some very good basketball teams. It has been fun to see our transformation. Our transition offense is as good as I have seen in a long time. Give credit to our kids and how hard they are playing defensively and then turning and running in transition offense. God is good!"
The U.S. (2-2) currently sits in fourth-place in tournament pool play behind Australia (4-0), Chinese Taipei-B (2-1) and New Zealand (2-1). They are followed by Chinese Taipei-A (1-2), Korea (1-2) and Japan (0-4). Team USA will take a bye on Sunday and close out tournament play versus New Zealand on Monday, July 16 and Chinese Taipei (A) on Tuesday, July 17. This year's U.S. Jones Cup team is sponsored by Athletes In Action which is an associate member of USA Basketball.
2007 WILLIAM JONES CUP
USA 94, KOREA 68
July 14, 2007 - 3:00 p.m.
Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium
at Taipei, Taiwan
BOX SCORE - U.S. (2-2) PLAYER, Jhasmin 9-16 1-3 19; LAWRENCE, Sarah-Jo 2-3 0-0 4; JANUARY, Briann 1-1 0-0 2; MICHEAUX, La Toya 6-14 2-4 14; EZELL, Heather 3-4 3-3 18; ALLISON, Rachel 4-8 5-6 13; McFARLAND, Jackie 2-4 3-3 7; Reed, Kendra 1-2 2-2 4; RUSH, Leah 2-5 0-0 4; NELP, Angie 1-2 0-0 2; TAYLOR-JAMES, Brittany 3-5 1-2 7; COLLINS, Kaite 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS 34-65 17-23 94.
USA............................ 52 42 - 94
Korea .........37 31 - 68
3-point goals - 3-7 (EZELL, Heather 3-6). Rebounds - 53 (MICHEAUX, La Toya 15). Assists - 18 (JANUARY, Briann 6).
Tournament Buzz...The U.S. women have been the talk of the tournament. With the youngest team among all seven countries in the Jones Cup field, Team USA is the only squad to hold the tournament-leading Australian National Team to 70 points. The Aussies blew out Japan (120-59), New Zealand (99-52) and Chinese Taipei (90-45) and have a loaded-roster comprised of Olympic hopefuls for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
U.S. WOMEN ROUT JAPANESE NATIONAL TEAM AT JONES CUP, 114-72
TAIPEI, Taiwan - The U.S. picked up its first win in tournament pool play with a 42-point rout of the Japanese National Team, 114-72, at the 2007 Women's William Jones Cup held Friday night at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
Behind a good offensive effort in the first half of play, Team USA led by Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer, improved from the floor shooting 55.7 percent (49-of-88) for the ballgame. Baylor's Rachel Allison and Oklahoma's Leah Rush provided the first-half surge for the U.S. Allison ended the night with 19 points and Rush with 11. Colorado's Jackie McFarland poured in a game-high 22 points and led the team in rebounds with nine along with Allison and Baylor's Jhasmin Player.
Texas A&M's La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) recorded six points and five rebounds versus Japan. The U.S. outrebounded their opponents by a margin of 67-23. Micheaux sat out most of the game after being poked in the eye in the first half. McFarland and Allison combined for 20-of-25 from underneath for Team USA.
"It was a great win for us," Schaefer said. "I felt like (former University of Houston coach) Guy V. Lewis. It was very satisfying to see our players rewarded for the hard work they have put in. Japan plays very hard. They were small and we did a great job of exposing that. Our kids really looked energized today and maybe, we have caught our second wind. The Japanese players were very respectful and gracious. Our players interacted with them after the ballgame and it was a very unique experience for all of us. We are very proud of our U.S. Athletes In Action Jones Cup Team. They represented their God and country very well today."
The U.S. (1-2) will compete against Korea (1-1) tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time. The seven-team round-robin tournament runs through July 17. Team USA will have a bye on Sunday and finish out pool play versus New Zealand on Monday, July 16 and Chinese Taipei (A) on Tuesday, July 17.
2007 WILLIAM JONES CUP
USA 114, JAPAN 72
July 13, 2007 - 3:00 p.m.
Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium
at Taipei, Taiwan
BOX SCORE - U.S. (1-2) EZELL, Heather 3-6 2-2 8; LAWRENCE, Sarah-Jo 5-8 0-0 10; JANUARY, Briann 2-5 0-0 7; Reed, Kendra 2-4 2-2 6; MICHEAUX, La Toya 2-6 2-2 6; PLAYER, Jhasmin 6-5 2-2 14; TAYLOR-JAMES, Brittany 2-4 2-2 6; ALLISON, Rachel 9-11 1-2 19; McFARLAND, Jackie 11-14 0-0 22; RUSH, Leah 5-8 1-2 11; NELP, Angie 2-7 1-1 5. TOTALS 49-88 13-15 114.
USA............................. 61 53 - 114
Japan ......... 40 32 - 72
3-point goals - 1-5 (JANUARY, Briann 1-2). Rebounds - 67 (ALLISON, Rachel; PLAYER, Jhasmin; McFARLAND, Jackie 9). Assists - 15 (JANUARY, Briann 3).
From The Sidelines...As the youngest person ever to serve as an assistant coach for a U.S. Women's Jones Cup Team, Texas A&M senior forward Katy Pounds (Shallowater, Texas) has received valuable on-the-job training at the international tournament. She is currently majoring in sport management with future aspirations of becoming a college basketball coach. "Coach Pounds did a great job on her first scouting report," Schaefer said. "Japan has a lot of different players that can shoot the ball deep. She charted them for two straight days and found some consistencies from certain spots on the floor that they wanted to shoot from. We were able to find them early in transition which helped a great deal."
VETERAN AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TEAM TOPS U.S. WOMEN AT JONES CUP
TAIPEI, Taiwan - The U.S. dropped a tough 70-40 decision against the veteran-laden Australian National Team on the second day of tournament pool play at the 2007 Women's William Jones Cup held Thursday night at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
Led by Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer, the U.S. women struggled offensively for the second-straight game shooting just 26 percent from the floor. Defensively, the team forced Australia to turn over the ball 22 times and held them to eight percent shooting from the perimeter. Post players La Toya Micheaux of Texas A&M and Sarah-Jo Lawrence of George Washington fouled out of the contest after playing quality minutes in the paint against physical play presented by the Australians. The U.S. trailed 34-17 at halftime, but cut the lead down to as much as 12 points in the second half of play.
Eleven of the Australian National Team members, minus five players who are currently playing in the WNBA, are on the country's world championship roster with an average age of 26 years old. They will compete in the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. With the victory, Australia improved to an undefeated 2-0 in pool play after defeating the Japanese National Team by a margin of 61 points on Wednesday.
"We played very well early against a very aggressive and seasoned team," Schaefer said. "We will bounce back, because there is a lot of character on our team. We have quality young people who are very committed to our task. While we are disappointed in the result today against the Australian National Team, we will back tomorrow and ready to play the Japanese National Team. They will present another challenge for our young Americans, but one we will meet head on with great anticipation."
With a cast of current and former collegiate standouts, the U.S. Jones Cup squad is comprised of Rachel Allison and Jhasmin Player of Baylor, Heather Ezell of Iowa State, Briann January of Arizona State, Jackie McFarland of Colorado, Angie (Gorton) Nelp of Colorado State, Kendra Reed of Southern Mississippi, Leah Rush of Oklahoma, Brittanie Taylor-James of North Carolina A&T and Katie Vieth of Kentucky.
Team USA (0-2) will take on the Japanese National Team (0-2) tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time. The seven-team round-robin tournament features two teams representing Chinese Taipei along with squads from Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. The tournament winner will be determined by overall record in pool play. The seven-day tournament runs through July 17.
2007 WILLIAM JONES CUP
AUSTRALIA 70, USA 40
July 12, 2007 - 3:00 p.m.
Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium
at Taipei, Taiwan
USA .............................. 17 23 - 40
Australia .............. 34 36 - 70
U.S. FALLS TO CHINESE TAIPEI NATIONAL TEAM IN JONES CUP OPENER, 70-63
TAIPEI, Taiwan - The U.S. fell 70-63 to the Chinese Taipei National Team in its opener at the 2007 Women's William Jones Cup tournament held Wednesday night at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
Team USA was paced by Baylor's Rachel Allison who contributed a team-high 16 points, while Baylor's Jhasmin Player added 12. The U.S. women, comprised of 12 former and current collegiate standouts, struggled offensively shooting just 39 percent for the ballgame and trailed by eight at the half, 45-37.
In the second half of play, the U.S. made a strong run and forced 29 turnovers to cut the lead down to as many as four points. Team USA had a chance to get within two after a missed breakaway layup with 1:20 remaining in regulation. On defense, the U.S. held Chinese Taipei to just 25 second-half points.
Texas A&M's La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) recorded three points and nine rebounds despite being hobbled by a sprained ankle sustained in practice last week in College Station. She was one of five starters for Team USA along with Arizona State's Briann January, George Washington's Sarah-Jo Lawrence, Oklahoma's Leah Rush and Baylor's Allison.
"I was very proud of our effort in the second half of play," U.S. Jones Cup head coach Vic Schaefer said. "Our kids played extremely hard and put themselves in a position to win the game in the end. Right now, we have to put this game behind us and get ready for a quick turnaround tomorrow night against Australia. It will be a tremendous challenge for our team, to not only bounce back from a disappointing loss, but to do it within an 18-hour time frame. We are excited about the challenge ahead and look forward to what tomorrow brings."
The seven-team round-robin tournament features two teams representing Chinese Taipei along with squads from Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. The tournament winner will be determined by overall record in pool play. The seven-day tournament runs through July 17.
The U.S. (0-1) will next face the Australian National Team (1-0) tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time. With four Olympic hopefuls on its roster, Australia handily defeated Japan, 120-59, Wednesday night in pool play.
Editor's Note: Game summaries are courtesy of the Texas A&M Media Relations Office.
