Paris, USA Defense Stifle Canada

Sept. 28, 2007

VALDIVIA, Chile -- Tina Thompson scored 14 points and Delisha Milton-Jones added 12 to help the United States stifle Canada, 85-37, Friday and secure the top seed in Group B at the FIBA Americas tournament.

The U.S. will play the second-place finisher in Group A, the winner between tonight's Argentina vs. Chile matchup, in the semifinals Saturday night. That game will begin at 8 p.m. Central and be televised live on NBA TV.

After a sluggish start that saw the United States (3-0) up 17-13 after the first quarter, America turned up its defense in the second period, outscoring the Canadians 21-6 to take a 38-19 halftime lead.

Oklahoma center Courtney Paris made her presence know under the basket, collecting a game-high five defensive rebounds.

The U.S. continued its strong play in the third quarter, extending the lead to 62-28. The U.S. team held Canada to just 27 percent shooting (14-for-52) and forced 23 turnovers.

Teresa Gabrielle scored seven points to lead Canada (1-2), which finished third in Group B.

Only the winner of the tournament will secure a bid to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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