USA Basketball Women’s National Team to face scrimmage vs. China during May 11-13 training camp in Seattle
From USA Basketball:
Highlighted by a May 12 exhibition game against the China National Team, the 2012 USA Basketball Women’s National Team has added a May 11-13 training camp in Seattle, Wash., to its schedule. The USA versus China exhibition contest will be held at KeyArena on May 12.
"I’m looking forward to it because it’ll be the first time that the entire team will be together," said Geno Auriemma, 2009-12 USA National Team and University of Connecticut head coach. "It’s been kind of difficult with everybody’s schedules to have many training camps. So, I’m really looking forward to it from that standpoint.
"The fans will get a big kick out of seeing the best players in the world play together, seeing the USA National Team, guys who have been on it in the past and guys who are making it for the first time. It’s an exciting time. Then, you add two other national teams, Japan and China. I think it’s going to be a great weekend of basketball.
"I think Seattle is a perfect place for this. They’ve shown that they can do a great job supporting and promoting women’s basketball. They have one of the best organizations in the entire WNBA. They’ve got great ownership, great fan support and I’m sure that they’ll do a super job of promoting it. I’m sure the fans will come out to support the team."
Players participating in the training camp include: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Swin Cash (Chicago Sky), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream),Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).
The USA and China have played each other 26 times in various major tournaments since 1977, with the U.S. owning a 25-1 record over China. The lone loss was in 1993 at the World University Games, when China edged the USA 75-73. At the highest level, Olympic and FIBA World Championship competitions, the nations have squared off nine times, with the Americans claiming five Olympic victories and four World Championship wins. Additionally, since 1995, the USA and China national teams have faced each other 11 times in various exhibition games and tournaments, with the U.S. collecting victories the first 10 contests. In the most recent clash between the two nations, China edged the USA 84-81 in the gold medal contest of the 2008 Good Luck Beijing Tournament.
The U.S. has played Japan 16 times in major international events, and after Japan took the first two wins the U.S. collected victories the last 14 times these two nations have met. Splitting their two Olympic contests, the USA owns a 2-1 record over Japan in FIBA World Championship action. The two national teams have clashed five times since 1995, and the USA won all five contests.
