McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING -Among the many things Lisa Leslie packed in her suitcase for her fourth trip to the Olympics were her three gold medals.

The captain of the U.S. women's basketball team figured the medals would inspire her as she faced the end of her international career, and she vowed to add to the collection Saturday night and parade around the Wukesong Basketball Arena with four gold medals dangling from her neck.

She kept her promise.

Australia had the size and moxie to give the United States a game, but Leslie and her teammates were just too good. They shut down the Opals 92-65 and won a fourth consecutive gold medal. They are 33-0 at the Olympics dating to the 1992 bronze medal game, and 50-3 overall. It was the third time in a row they beat the Aussies in the final.

The U.S. dominated the entire tournament, outscoring its eight opponents by an average of 38.8 points. Australia is the reigning world champion and had lost by just four to the U.S. in an Olympic warm-up tournament in Shanghai, so the Opals came in truly believing they could topple the Americans. But when it counted most, Australia cracked and the U.S. elevated its game.

In the final full track session, both the U.S. men's and women's teams won gold medals in the 4 x 400-meter relay Saturday evening at National Stadium.

The men scored their medal with an Olympic record time of 2:55.39. The Bahamas claimed the silver medal in 2:58.03, while Russia won the bronze medal with a 2:58.06. The U.S. team was comprised of LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, David Neville and Jeremy Wariner.

The U.S. women's took the baton to the tape in 3:18.54. Russia took the silver medal in 3:18.82, while Jamaica won the bronze in a time of 3:20.40. Members of the U.S. team were Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix, Monique Henderson and Sanya Richards.

Fueled by a four-run rally in the fifth inning, the U.S. baseball team charged to an 8-4 victory over Japan to win the bronze medal Saturday at the Wukesong Baseball Field.

The U.S. used the long ball to post six of its runs. Matt LaPorta plated the first American run with a solo shot in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1. Matt Brown answered a three-run rally by Japan in the top of the third by hitting a three-run shot in the bottom half of the inning to draw the Americans even again at 4-4. Jason Donald had a two-run homer in the fifth to help put the U.S. out in front to stay. Brown, Donald and LaPorta each had two hits to pace the nine-hit U.S. attack.

Brett Anderson struck out six and walked three over seven innings to pick up his first win of the tournament. He was relieved in the eighth by Kevin Jepsen, who had a strikeout and a walk while surrendering only two hits to close out the win.

The bronze medal is the second won by the United States in Olympic baseball competition, with the other coming in 1996 at Atlanta. The U.S. won the gold medal at Sydney in 2000.

The 105 medals won thus far by the United States exceeds the 102 earned at the 2004 Athens Games. It is the third-most won in an Olympic Games not competed on U.S. soil, trailing only the 108 won at the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 107 won in Mexico City in 1968.

Earlier:

Archery competitor Khatuna Lorig, a native of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, was chosen to carry the flag for the United States at the closing ceremonies.

Lorig didn't medal in the Games, but learned while competing here that her homeland was the site of fighting involving Georgian and Russian forces. She worried for her friends and family.

"As an athlete, I tried to concentrate on the competition," Lorig said. "I finally was able to talk to them and I found out they were safe.

"That helped a great deal."

In other events:

-The U.S. women's volleyball team won the silver medal for the second time and third Olympic medal overall after falling to Brazil in the gold medal match Saturday evening. Scores of the games were 15-25, 25-18, 13-25, 21-25. The silver is the first Olympic medal in women's volleyball since the bronze won in 1992 at Barcelona and the first silver since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

-The United States tied with Japan to place fifth in team synchronized swimming as competition concluded at the National Aquatics Center Saturday afternoon.

The American squad finished with a score of 95.334. The gold medal team from Russia posted 99.500. Spain earned the silver with 98.251, while China won the bronze with 97.334.

-Chaunte Howard placed sixth in the women's high jump, competed Saturday evening at the National Stadium. She cleared a season-best 1.99m on her third attempt at the height. The gold medal was won by Tia Hellebaut of Belgium, who cleared 2.05m on her first attempt. Blanka Vlasic of Croatia earned the silver by clearing the same height on her second try. Russia's Anna Chicherova won the bronze medal with a leap of 2.03m.