Aug. 5, 2008

With the help of assistant coach Dawn Staley, the United States women’s basketball team picked up the gold medal at the 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament in Haining, China, Tuesday night. The Gamecocks’ head coach saw her national team charges score a 71-67 victory over rival Australia in the tune-up event prior to the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds in the classic back-and-forth battle. Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker were named to the All-Tournament team for their help in the event’s three United States victories. The U.S. knocked off Latvia 84-74 in the tournament opener and advanced to the final with a 93-58 win over Russia.

Click here for a full tournament recap on the USA Basketball website.

The women’s basketball Olympic competition tips off on Aug. 9 with the United States taking on the Czech Republic at 8 a.m. (ET) with preliminary-round games occurring every other day through Aug. 17.