Upcoming Event: Track & Field versus NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 10, 2026
Track & Field
vs NCAA Outdoor Championships
USA Women's World University Team Advances To Gold Medal Game With 118-67 Win Over Russia
IZMIR, Turkey- Sparked by a 20-0 second quarter run, the 2005 USA Women's World University Games Team clinched a gold medal game berth with an impressive 118-67 win over Russia on Wednesday in Izmir, Turkey. Guaranteed at least a silver medal, the U.S. will face Serbia & Montenegro, who defeated Australia 70-57 in the day's other semifinal, for the gold at 5:15 p.m. on Friday.
College teammates Sylvia Fowles (LSU / Miami, Fla.) and Seimone Augustus (LSU / Baton Rouge, La.) led the Americans with 25 and 18 points, respectively, including a combined 30 points in the first half. Augustus also dished out all over her team-high five assists in the first 20 minutes.
The scored remained tight early, as both teams traded baskets from the opening tip. Augustus had her hand in the U.S.'s first six baskets with three jumpers and three assists to knot the score at 12-12 with 6:28 left in the first quarter. Russia responded 13 seconds later with a jumper by Kesenia Kolosovskaya but the Americans reeled off an 11-0 run over the next 2:40 to give the Americans a 23-14 advantage with 3:11 remaining on the clock in the opening frame.
Augustus hit a jumper after Russia made two free throws but a layup by Yulia Koroleva started a 12-0 run to give Russia a slight 26-25 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter. Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers / Chicago, Ill.) tied the score at 26-26 with 8.6 seconds left in the first stanza after making 1-2 free throws, a score that held up at the end of one.
"Our game plan was to pack it in and make them shoot from the outside to stop their penetration and stop their low post game," said USA and Harvard University (Mass.) head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "Ironically, they hit their first five or six outside shots. But credit this team's belief in our system and in the scouting report. They didn't panic and they made the adjustments they needed to make."
Fowles opened scoring in 28 seconds in to the second quarter after grabbing an offensive rebound and making the putback to give the U.S. a 28-26 advantage. Fowles and Augustus struck again when Fowles grabbed an offensive board and made a three-point play and Augustus hit a jumper at the 7:06 mark in the second quarter for a three-point, 33-30 American advantage.
After two Russian free throws, Augustus found Liz Shimek (Michigan State / Empire, Mich.) for a jumper with 6:30 left in the first half to ignite a 20-0 U.S. run that gave the red, white and blue a 50-30 lead with 26 seconds left in the. The run was highlighted by a behind the back pass from Augustus to Fowles for an easy layup and saw six different Americans score. Russia ended its 6:32 scoring drought when Lydmila Sapova hit a jumper with eight seconds remaining to close out first half scoring.
"If I was scouting us and saw that combo, I don't know what I would do," said Delaney-Smith, referring to Augustus and Fowles. "They're both phenomenal players. They're truly amongst the finest, if not the best players in the country. They're both so unselfish and team oriented, which makes them all that much more refreshing and in fact, better."
"I wanted to get out there and dominate and get us one step closer to winning the gold," said Fowles. "I just went out there and did what the coaches asked me to do."
Sapova hit a jumper to open scoring in the second half but Monique Currie (Duke / Washington, D.C.) responded with a layup after corralling an offensive rebound with 8:17 left in the third quarter to give the U.S. a 52-32 lead. The American lead continued to grow as Pondexter scored four-straight points followed by baskets from Fowles and Lisa Willis (UCLA / Long Beach, Calif.) for a 60-36 advantage with 5:03 remaining in the third frame. The quarter ended with the Americans holding a 73-50 edge and on their way to the gold medal game.
"It's surreal to me," said Delaney-Smith of playing for a gold medal. "It's more exciting than you even anticipate. I just love the unselfish play of the team and I think that equals gold, so hopefully I'm right.
Also in double figures for the U.S. were Willis with 13 points and Candice Dupree (Temple / Tampa, Fla.) and Pondexter with 10 apiece. Shimek nabbed a team-high five steals to go along with her seven rebounds and six points.
Russia was led Koroleva, who had 20 points and Sapova and Natalia Vedlya, who both notched 12 points.
In its six games, the U.S. has scored 100.8 ppg., outscored its opponents by 46.3 ppg. and dominated the battle of the boards with a plus-26.9 margin. Additionally, the Americans have shot a stellar 56.6 (259-458) percent from the floor.
2005 World University Games
The World University Games, held every two years and organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), is a multi-sport competition open to men and women between the ages of 17 and 28 (born between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1987), who are, or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university. The 2005 World University Games will be held Aug. 10-21 in Izmir, Turkey. A total of 21 teams will compete in the 2005 Women's World University Games. The teams have been divided into four preliminary pools, three pools consisting of five teams and one pool consisting of six teams. The U.S. is in Pool B with China, Czech Republic, Poland and South Africa.
The USA will wrap up preliminary round play against Poland on Aug. 15. The World University Games quarterfinals will be held Aug. 16, with semifinal games taking place Aug. 17, and finals on Aug. 19.
The USA women have enjoyed outstanding success in the World University Games and have earned 12 medals in 13 appearances, including five golds, six silvers and one bronze medal, and have compiled an overall record of 81-15 (.844 winning percentage) since beginning World University Games play in 1973. USA Basketball last sent a squad to the 2001 World University Games, where the U.S. ran off to a 7-1 record and clinched the gold medal in Beijing, China. USA Basketball did not send a team to the last World University Games in 2003.
