USA vs. Croatia Women's Basketball: Grades, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

Team USA, the No. 1 ranked women’s basketball team in the world, overcame and defeated Croatia 81-56 Saturday afternoon. In what was supposed to be a laugher and an easy win for the Americans, Croatia played well throughout, until the fourth quarter, when the American’s experience took over.

As FIBA’s 31st-ranked team, Croatia presented an unexpected challenge to the heavily favored Americans.

After a very unimpressive first quarter, in which it tallied a mere four points, Croatia bounced back to outscore Team USA by a 24-20 margin. That put the Croatians down by just three as the teams went into their locker rooms for the half.

As mentioned, Team USA’s depth was ultimately too much for Croatia. In the fourth quarter, the U.S. rode its deep roster and blew the score wide open. The Americans led by as many as 25 at one point and ended up finishing Croatia off by that margin.

An Olympic win is a win, but in looking ahead, the Americans will have to do more if they are going to defeat Australia or Russia in the gold-medal game.

Tweets of the Night

Team USA’s official Twitter account pretty much summed up the first half. It was low scoring and back and forth. The U.S. led 15-4 before this Tweet:

"

Tina Charles has eight points and the USA women lead Croatia 15-7 with 9:00 to play in the first half.

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 28, 2012"

As the following Tweet indicates, the American women shared the rock in order to overcome the push from Croatia:

"

Team USA Women's Basketball Selfless Passes! No Egos On This Team! #GettingTheGold

— Basketball Minds (@basketballminds) July 28, 2012"

NBA Summer League standout Kim English had some advice for Team USA coach Geno Auriemma:

"

Geno needs to call the press off! Press good guards and you give up layups.

— Kim English (@Englishscope24) July 28, 2012"

ABC’s 2012 Olympics reporter Matt Wordsworth said it best at the conclusion:

"

USA blew Croatia away in the final qtr winning 81-56. #basketball

— Matt Wordsworth (@mattwordsworth) July 28, 2012"

Grades for Key USA Players

Sue Bird

Bird underperformed heavily in her 2012 Olympic debut. She finished with five points and three rebounds on 2-for-6 shooting from the field. She also added five assists and turned the ball over three times while running point for the U.S.

Team USA is going to need her to get more involved early if the Americans are to continue to enjoy success and earn the country’s fifth straight women’s basketball gold medal.

Grade: C

Candace Parker

Parker scored 11 points, hauled in 11 rebounds and sent away two blocks as she helped teammate Tina Charles completely dominate the paint. 

Grade: A-

Tina Charles

Charles was every bit the dominate force down low that she can be. She scored a team-high 14 points while snagging 10 rebounds.

Grade: A

Grades for Key Croatian Players

Marija Vrsaljko

Jelena Ivezic and Vrsaljko recorded 41 of their team’s 56 points. Everything positive that happened for Croatia went through either one of those two.

Vrsaljko used her size to dominate at the basket. However, she failed to really establish the paint and dominate on the boards.

Grade: B

Andja Jelavic

The 31-year-old veteran played uninspired and could not connect on anything from the field. She recorded no points on 0-for-7 shooting.

It wasn’t just her poor shooting that hurt her; she failed to facilitate and get her team involved, recording only one assist while turning the ball over three times

Grade: D 

Jelena Ivezic

Ivezic was playing in her first Olympic game and took the opportunity by the horns. She connected on an impressive four out of seven shots from behind the arch and tallied a game-high 22 points in a losing effort.

Her excellent play kept the Croatians within striking distance until things got out of control in the fourth quarter.

Grade: A 

Game MVP: Angel McCoughtry

McCoughtry is an Olympic rookie and made the most out of her debut. Coming off the bench, she provided Team USA with a spark that got the team going in the second half.

She pitched in 13 points, four rebounds, four steals and added a block to her impressive stat line.

RealGM writer Michael Scotto called her the “x-factor” for Team USA’s win over Croatia:

"

Angel McCoughtry was the x-factor for Team USA in the win over Croatia. Her energy, defense, and scoring off the bench led the charge. #USA

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 28, 2012"

What's Next? 

Team USA will face similar competition throughout the preliminary rounds. The road to gold may not be a perfectly painted picture for the Americans, but there is not a team in their bracket that can push them to their limit, due to their depth and excellence on the court.

The women play next on Monday, July 30, against Angola. There may be twists and turns along the road, but expect a similar result as that of today’s win over Croatia.

Follow me on Twitter @BigHoagowski