Summer Olympics 2000 Myers leads Italians' rally

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Thursday, September 21
Myers leads Italians' rally
Associated Press

SYDNEY, Australia -- Carlton Myers didn't live up to his nickname, yet he still was the key to Italy's 78-66 victory over New Zealand in Olympic basketball.

The 6-foot-4 guard is known as the "Michael Jordan of Italy" and, while he certainly didn't come up with any Jordanesque moves, he did come up big when his team needed him Thursday.

Myers, a native of England, hit a 3-pointer with 12:55 to play that gave Italy (2-1) the lead for good at 48-47. His shot started a 15-3 run that he capped with a one-on-three fastbreak where his layup was goaltended.

"We could have been upset unexpectedly and he was the one who had the courage to keep us together," Italy coach Bogdan Tanjevic said. "He was good on defense. His nickname comes from that he has always been the best defender and the best attacker in all the important matches."

Myers had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.

"The nickname also comes from his expression of his personality and also physically they are both attractive men," Tanjevic said. "If he were five centimeters (about two inches) taller, he could play in the NBA. He has the speed, the elevation."

Myers, 29, plays for Bologna Fortitudo in the Italian League and he has averaged about 20 points during the past five seasons.

He had 11 points on 2-for-9 shooting in a 93-61 defeat to the United States on Tuesday, and U.S. coach Rudy Tomjanovich praised him before and after the game as one of best combination guards in the world.

New Zealand led 36-32 at halftime and was still in front 45-43 with 14:16 left on three 3-pointers by Pero Cameron, a 6-7, 276-pound forward who looks more like an offensive lineman with his barrel chest and huge calves. When his long-range exhibition was over, New Zealand really struggled against an Italian team known for its defense.

"For one brief period, Italy got right on top of us," New Zealand coach Keith Mair said. "They're so good and so professional, they won't let you back in."

Giancomo Galanda and Alessandro Abbio each added 14 points for Italy, while Cameron topped New Zealand with 18 points, all but three from beyond the 3-point arc. Cameron also had six assists and five rebounds.

Australia 75, Russia 71 -- In a long Olympic career filled with 3-pointers galore, Andrew Gaze might have stroked his biggest one against Russia.

The second-leading scorer in Olympic history hit a 3 from about 28 feet with 38 seconds left to break a tie and give the host country its first victory of the tournament.

Considered a lock for a medal entering the Olympics, Australia lost to Canada and Yugoslavia in its first two games and a defeat to Russia would have ended any chances of advancing to the quarterfinals.

With a fervent crowd of 8,322 roaring in The Dome, Australia got off to the start it wanted, going up 30-9 in the first 11 minutes. Russia (1-2) started hitting 3-pointers and rallied from a 54-30 deficit early in the second half to take a 71-69 lead with 1:57 to play on a 3 by Sergei Tchikalkine.

Mark Bradtke's layup tied the game 16 seconds later. Russia then turned the ball over, setting the stage for Gaze's heroics.

"At the time I wasn't sure how much time was left on the shot clock and I might have been a little deeper than I would like, but we'll take it," said the five-time Olympian who was his country's flag bearer in the opening ceremony. "You don't always hit the biggest shots at the end of the game, some come with a few minutes left. But at this stage of the tournament and how desperate we were for a win right in our own country, this one would have to rank right up there."

The quarterfinal berth isn't assured and a fourth-place finish in the six-team group would mean a matchup with the United States.

"We found our very elusive game from the last couple we played," said Australia center Luc Longley, who had 11 points and six rebounds on the day he was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the New York Knicks. "We can't get carried away with it. It's a step in the direction we should have been going in all along."

Gaze and Shane Heal each finished with 15 points and both were 3-for-5 from 3-point range.

Andrei Fetisov led Russia with 16 points and was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Canada 91, Spain 77 -- Michael Meeks was 8-for-8 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and scored 24 points as Canada (3-0) clinched a berth in the quarterfinals.

"That's cool," Meeks, who played at Canisius, said when told he didn't miss a shot. "I can't ever remember having a perfect game."

Canada has been perfect in its first Olympic appearance since 1988, when current coach Jay Triano was a starting guard.

"I've told them how disappointing that was," he said of the sixth-place finish in Seoul. "They haven't got caught up in the Olympic experience, they are focusing on this tournament. They have not gone to another event. They said they can go to another Olympics to watch."

Pete Guarasci added 17 points for Canada, which shot 61.5 percent from the field (32-for-52), including 10-for-19 from 3-point range.

John Rogers had 15 points for Spain (1-2).

France 82, China 70 -- France's Antoine Rigaudeau and Laurent Forest stayed on the perimeter to more than offset China's huge frontline by combining for 51 points, including eight 3-pointers.

Rigaudeau had just two points at halftime on 1-for-7 shooting, but he found the range in the second half and his 3-pointer with 5:38 to play gave the France (2-1) the lead for good at 69-68 and started a game-closing 16-2 run.

Rigaudeau, who finished with 29 points on 11-for-19 shooting -- including 6-for-11 from 3-point range -- and Forest, who had 22 points, had all the points in the closing run as China (1-2) committed six of its 21 turnovers in that stretch.

Yao Ming, China's 7-5 center, finished with 14 points, while 7-1 Wang Zhizhi had nine points and 10 rebounds.

China appeared the have the game under control, leading 59-45 with 12 minutes to play. But France came up with most of its 12 steals the rest of the game, and Rigaudeau and Forest stayed hot from the outside.

Yugoslavia 73, Angola 64 -- Yugoslavia (3-0) clinched a berth in the quarterfinals, but it was a lot closer than expected. Angola (0-3) gave a top team a scare in a second consecutive game in The Dome, staying as close as three points until the final 1:19.

The game followed the United States' 85-76 victory over Lithuania, the closest game for a U.S. team since NBA players began playing in 1992.

Dejan Tomasevic had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Yugoslavia, while Predrag Stojakovic, who plays for the Sacramento Kings, scored 11.

Belarmino Chipongue had 15 points for Angola, which fed off the emotion of the crowd of 8,391, which was pulling for the upset.

Angola was able to stay within striking distance because of a 10-for-26 effort from 3-point range.

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