Valdivia, Chile – A day after surviving a first-game scare, the United States routed Jamaica 115-47 on Thursday in the FIBA Americas tournament.
Seimone Augustus had 19 points and Tina Thompson added 18 as the U.S. team scored the first nine points and never looked back.
The United States (2-0) struggled in its first game against Cuba, winning 85-79 after trailing most of the game.
There was no such trouble Thursday. Leading 14-7, Kara Lawson came off the bench to score five quick points and give the United States an 11-point advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Jamaica got no closer the rest of the game.
“From the beginning of the game to the end, I thought we really kept our energy and our intensity up,” U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. “That’s what you want to do in games like these.”
Lawson finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The U.S. finished with 32 assists and forced Jamaica into 32 turnovers.
The United States will play Canada, which lost to Cuba 75-52, in the final preliminary game today.
COLLEGES
Cheating scandal surfaces at FSU
Florida State University’s president said the school doesn’t know all the details of an academic cheating scandal that has resulted in two employees being fired. President T.K. Wetherell reported the findings in a letter to the NCAA this week that a six-month investigation by the school revealed at least 23 Florida State athletes were implicated in cheating on tests.
“I don’t like what we saw,” Wetherell said. “It bothers us obviously that faculty or athletic staff people would have done what they did.”
Provost Larry Abele explained that a part-time tutor gave students answers while they were taking tests. He said a full-time athletic department employee filled in answers on quizzes and typed papers for students, in some cases students who weren’t even there.
“My real concern is what I don’t know at this point,” Wetherell said.
WNBA
Swoopes undergoes back surgery
Houston Comets star Sheryl Swoopes underwent back surgery.
“Sheryl had back surgery with a recovery time of eight to 12 weeks,” Comets trainer Mike Douglas said. “She had a nerve root compression and the surgery relieved the compression. … The outlook is positive for Sheryl to make a complete recovery.”
Swoopes played in just three games this past season.
CYCLING
Di Luca withdraws from worlds
Giro d’Italia champion Danilo Di Luca withdrew from the world championships because of doping allegations, hours after the host city of Stuttgart, Germany, opened court proceedings to keep Paolo Bettini out of the road race. Di Luca pulled out after the Italian Olympic Committee recommended he be banned four months for doping.
“It’s a scandal,” Di Luca said. “I’m going home without ever being banned, after months of sacrifice. (The decision) only served to prevent me from racing the world championship. … I will be cleared 100 percent.”
Stuttgart wants to keep world champion Bettini out of the road race because the Italian has refused to sign an anti-doping pledge.
SOCCER
Glinton’s header gives Galaxy 1-0 win
Gavin Glinton, a second-half sub for Cobi Jones, scored on a header deep in the penalty area and led the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards. The victory was the first for the Galaxy on the road since Aug. 6, 2006, and kept alive its chances at making the MLS playoffs.
