Silver specialist Australia defeats Canada in race for Olympic gold

 
The Olympic women’s basketball tournament will enter its quarterfinal stage on Tuesday. After recording success in the knockout stage, the Australian women’s basketball team is prepared to face heat.
 
The stakes will be raised on Tuesday, with each team meeting immediate disqualification in case of defeat. Nonetheless, the coach of Australian women’s basketball team Carrie Graf believes she has some “street fighters” that will not only raise havoc on their opponents, but help Australia run deep into the tournament.
 
“I think we've got some street fighters on our team, absolutely,” Carrie Graf said after the Australian team defeated Canada team 73-62 in a rugged game of basketball.
 
“I think everyone on our team plays like Aussies,” Carrie Graf continued. “We're not going to roll over in any game. We're going to grind it out, dig it out, scratch and bite and do whatever it takes to find a way to win.
 
“If you had our girls on the street and they had to get themselves out of something, I think we have got some big strong women that won't shy away from a dog fight and that's one of the strengths of this team.
 
“It's un-pretty at times but we find a way to fight.”
 
In spite of having a talented squad, Australia hasn’t been able to win an Olympic gold medal in recent years. As a matter of fact, Australian women’s basketball team has been settling in for silver medals for the past three Olympics.
 
This time round, Australia looks intent on writing history with their name as victors. Australia won four of their five games in the preliminary round, which saw them beside first placed France in Group B.
 
Canada played well against Australia, but they were outdone by the pace and impressive shooting skills from their opponents. The match was quite intense towards the end. However, Lauren Jackson stepped in and sank eight successive free throws in 68 seconds to seal the victory for Australia.
 
In an interview after the game, the Australian captain Lauren Jackson told reporters that she preferred to score from the free throw line as it gave her a break from the physical pounding she was receiving from her opponents.
 
“Considering the physicality of the game, it was kind of nicer to be standing on the free throw line rather than being beaten on the court,” Lauren Jackson said.
 
“It was a rough game. I think all of our games have been relatively physical. It’s been hard but I guess it's making us better and getting us ready for the next round.”