The gold medal is the first for Moore and Whalen, second for Augustus

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL With the teams 86-50 victory over France, the 2012 U.S. Olympic Womens Basketball Team captured the USAs fifth consecutive gold medal on Saturday. The medal is the first for Minnesota Lynx players Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen, and second for Seimone Augustus, who previously won the gold during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Im extremely proud of Seimone, Lindsay and Maya on their success in London, said Lynx Executive Vice President Roger Griffith. As an organization, we were captivated by the play of the USA women during the Olympics, and our three players did an excellent job representing themselves, their country, their family and the Lynx organization. We look forward to celebrating their return to Minnesota and continuing the WNBA season as we try to defend the WNBA title.

Minnesotas trio of Olympians scored a combined 17 points during the gold medal game on Saturday, including a 6-point, 7-rebound from Moore. In her second career Olympics, Augustus averaged 7.8 points during the tournament in just over 18 minutes per game. Appearing in each of their first Olympics, Whalen averaged 8.0 points on 56.4% shooting, while Moore averaged 9.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Joining Moore and Whalen in winning their first gold medal is Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun) and Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), while Swin Cash (Chicago Sky), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) and Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) join Augustus as the teams two-time gold medal winners. Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) have now won three gold medals.

En route to winning the gold, the USA women won all eight of their games during tournament play, extending the USAs Olympic winning streak to 41 games, dating back to the 1992 bronze medal victory over Cuba. The teams 8-0 record during the London Olympics improves the U.S. womens overall Olympic record to 57-3 dating back to the addition of womens basketball in 1976.

Augustus, Moore and Whalen will address Minneapolis media in a press conference on Wednesday, August 15 time to be determined. For more information, media can contact the Alex King at 612-673-1632 or via e-mail at king@lynxbasketball.com.

Contact Information:

Alex King, Minnesota Lynx, (612) 673-1632, king@lynxbasketball.com

www.lynxbasketball.com

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