By Mark Maloney | Lexington Herald-Leader

BEIJING — South Dakota native Becky Hammon wanted to play for an Olympic medal in women's basketball.

So there she was at Wukesong Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Thursday, battling for a spot in the gold-medal game of the Beijing Olympics.

For Russia.

Against the United States.

Despite her efforts, Hammon's native country beat her adopted land 67-52.

So it will be Team USA, in search of a fourth consecutive Olympic gold, taking on reigning world champion Australia on Saturday. Hammon and the Russians will face China in the bronze-medal game.

The Americans have won 32 consecutive games in Olympic play, including seven in Beijing.

Hammon, who plays professionally for CSKA Moscow, opted for Russian citizenship and a chance to play in the Olympics once it became clear she would not make the U.S. squad.

If she had enhanced emotions Thursday, she wasn't letting on. She said her emotions were "really none."

"I faced them a couple weeks ago and it was probably more emotional then," Hammon said. "But here, this was just a big game. It wouldn't have mattered if we were playing Uzbekastan or someplace that nobody'd heard of. I don't know. I've got to soak it all in yet."

Russia gave the U.S. its toughest test of the tournament, but Hammon was of little factor.

She entered the game as Russia's leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points a game. Thursday, Hammon was held scoreless until making a free throw with 9:30 left. She added a driving jumper to finish with three points in 24 minutes.

"It was a very physical game," she said. "I thought we played well for about three quarters. Eventually their depth and their size just overpowers you. They have a very great team and we had to play perfectly, and we didn't make some shots. It makes life difficult when you don't hit shots."

Hammon shot 1-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-4 from three-point range. As a team, Russia shot 21-for-58 (36 percent), including 1-for-14 (7 percent) from long range. The Russians came into the contest as the most accurate three-point shooters in the tournament, 34-for-76 (44.7 percent).

Russia led 16-13 after one quarter. At halftime, the U.S. led 33-32.

A six-point run to open the second half gave Russia a 38-33 lead.

Team USA finished the quarter with a 15-2 flurry and scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to grab a 50-40 lead. The Russians never came closer than nine points after that.

"We had to get lucky," Hammon said. "We had to have the ball bounce our way and we had to make some shots, and things didn't go our way. But you have to give credit to them."

Tina Thompson led the 17-2 run by scoring four points. Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Katie Smith scored three each. Seimone Augustus and Lisa Leslie added two apiece.

"I thought it was a great game and it was good that we had to fight to get back into it," Leslie said. "Not that we were completely out of it, but we were down. I thought they forced us into a lot of early turnovers and we didn't settle in great in our offense.

"But our defense is how we were able to win it. We had a lot of great defensive stops. We stopped giving up transition baskets to them and that was pretty much the difference in the second half."

Team USA shot a tepid 22 of 66 (33 percent) from the field. But the Americans were 9-for-21 (43 percent) from the three-point line and outrebounded Russia 52-33.

Taurasi led U.S. scoring with 21 points, drilling five of eight three-pointers, and added nine rebounds. Thompson scored 15 points. Fowles added eight, plus a game-leading 10 rebounds.

Russia got 14 points from 6-foot-8 Maria Stepanova. Tatiana Shchegoleva had 12 points and Ilona Korstin had 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds.

Afterward, the Americans didn't take pot shots at Hammon, but there was an unmistakable air of disapproval.

"I really don't have any thoughts about it," Fowles said. "I mean, she did what she had to do and if she's comfortable with it, then that's for her."

Fowles and Taurasi said they could not bring themselves to play for another country.

"At the end of the day, we can only worry about the people in our locker room," Taurasi said. "I can't worry about what Becky does.

"Growing up you think the Olympics are about representing your country. ... But being American is about opportunity, too, and exploring those opportunities whether people like them or not. If you go to sleep happy and you go to sleep with a clean conscience, you're an American and that's your right."

Said Leslie: "For today, Becky was a Russian to me and I didn't even recognize her. It was just get out there and trap her when she's coming off those screens. We did a nice job of shutting her down, though, as a team."

Hammon said most players have been supportive, though. For those who disapprove, she said, "I don't dwell on people that don't understand the situation."

Team USA's situation is one of dreams.

"We're right where we want to be," Smith said. "We're in the gold-medal game."

Hammon would have liked to have been there, too, but she said her Olympic experience has "been great."

"If we're able to walk away with a bronze medal, I think that's quite a big accomplishment."