VALDIVIA, Chile -- Tina Thompson scored 18 points to help the United States qualify for the 2008 Olympics with a 101-71 victory over Cuba on Sunday in the gold medal game at the FIBA Americas tournament.
The U.S. (5-0) was forced to qualify for an Olympics berth for the first time since 1980 because of a third-place finish at the World Championships last year.
"It's a huge relief for us that we could win and punch the ticket to Beijing," USA Basketball president Val Ackerman said. "They did a terrific job. We had so many late arrivals to camp, it's great that the players did what they needed to do."
The Americans struggled with Cuba when the teams met in their opening round game, needing a fourth-quarter rally to win 85-79. The U.S. had no problem on Sunday, jumping out to a 16-0 lead 4 minutes into the game. Diana Taurasi hit two 3-pointers during the spurt. She finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Cuba didn't sink its first basket until Oyanaisy Gelis made a jumper with 5:50 left in the first quarter. The U.S. was able to extend its lead to 20, but Cuba rallied by hitting two 3s to come within 31-19.
The U.S. responded with a 7-0 run to restore its big lead. The Americans led 49-30 at the half and put the game away in the third quarter, extending their lead to 75-43 at the end of the period.
Katie Smith added 15 points for the United States.
Suchitel Avila led Cuba (3-2) with 14 points, and Gelis added 13.
Yakelyn Plutin, who led Cuba with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting with the U.S., was scoreless in the first half and didn't make her first shot until the third quarter when she fell down on the baseline and flung the ball up. She finished with 11 points, most coming in the fourth quarter.
After struggling in the opening game against Cuba, the U.S. ran through the tournament, beating Argentina 104-53 in the semifinals.
Cuba advanced to the gold medal game with a 69-67 upset victory over Brazil.
The U.S. joins China, Australia, New Zealand, Mali and Korea as teams that have qualified for the Olympics. The last automatic bid will go to the European winner. Cuba, Argentina and Brazil, by finishing in the top four at the FIBA Americas tournament, will get to play in a last chance Olympic qualifier next June.
By winning the gold, the Americans alleviated a potential headache for the WNBA and USA basketball. The last chance qualifier would have been a logistical nightmare for both organizations, coming in the middle of the WNBA season.
Brazil won the bronze medal, routing Argentina 73-41. Canada finished in fifth place with a 86-68 win over Chile, and Mexico beat Jamaica 62-55 for seventh place.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Source: ESPN.com
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