Beijing Olympic Games

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By DOUG FEINBERG, AP Sports Writer

BEIJING (AP)—Lauren Jackson had 17 points and 12 rebounds to help Australia rout the Czech Republic 79-46 on Tuesday night and advance to the semifinals of women’s basketball.

Australia will face China in the semifinals Thursday night. Miao Lijie scored 28 points to help China beat Belarus 77-62 in the first quarterfinal game. It’s the fourth straight Olympics that the Aussies have made the semifinals.

The Aussies suffered a scare in the third quarter when co-captain Penny Taylor sprained her right ankle. She got hurt driving to the basket when she stepped on a Czech player’s foot.

“With ankle injuries like that the next 24 hours will be huge,” Australia coach Jan Stirling said. “If she’s not ready to go, it’s part of sport. Someone else will have to step up.”

Taylor was helped to the sideline and was grimacing in pain with her head in her hands. Taylor, who finished with eight points, was icing it for the rest of the game at the end of the bench.

“Penny’s a huge part of our team and we’ve got to hope for the best for her,” Jackson said. “I don’t know what we can do without her so hopefully she’ll be okay.”

The semifinal matchup should be an intriguing one as China is led by Tom Maher, who was the Australian national coach from 1993-2000, giving Jackson and Taylor their start.

“I have a lot of friends on the Australian team,” Maher said. “They are playing us and I don’t care about them at all, I just want to beat them.”

Maher left Australia after the Sydney Olympics to coach in the WNBA before coaching New Zealand in the 2004 games. He was plucked from the Kiwis by China after New Zealand beat them in the Athens Games.

Maher has China back in the semifinals for the first time since the 1992 Olympics when the host nation won a silver medal.

“I’m delighted for China basketball,” Maher said after China’s win earlier Tuesday. “It’s great to see China back near the top of the basketball tree.”

Australia has been one of the top women’s teams since 1996 when they won the bronze medal. On Tuesday, they led by three midway through the first quarter when Jackson scored seven points during a 13-3 Australia run to close the period.

The Aussies continued the onslaught in the second quarter, holding the Czechs to two points over the first 8:50 of the period. By the time Marketa Mokrosova hit a 3-pointer from the corner to end the drought, Australia led 36-15. Taylor’s jumper at the buzzer gave the Aussies a 38-17 lead at the break. The Czech Republic shot 7-for-36 (19 percent) from the field in the half. It would have been worse had they not hit two of their final three shots.

Hana Machova scored eight points to lead the Czechs, who could get no closer in the second half as Australia’s lead ballooned to 41 points. The Czech’s finished fourth in Group B.

Belinda Snell added 15 points and nine rebounds for Australia, which won Group A.