Mercury's Taylor Helps Australia During Impressive Run

The Phoenix Mercury had multiple players in the 2008 Olympics, and Penny Taylor was helping Australia succeed.

Aug 13, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Australia forward Penny Taylor (7) brings the ball up the court past Korea center Jongae Lee (8) during the second half of a preliminary round game at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

The 2008 Olympics were held in Beijing, and Team USA took home gold. That roster featured players like Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson, and the Phoenix Mercury were represented as well. Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi played, and both of them had solid runs.

Pondexter averaged 6.4 points and 2.1 assists. Taurasi averaged 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in her second Olympic Games. Team USA went undefeated, and in the final game, Taurasi and company faced Australia.

Aug 23, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; USA guard Diana Taurasi (12) holds the ball away from Australia forward Penny Taylor (7) during the womens basketball gold medal basketball game at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. USA defeated Australia 92-65 to win the gold medal. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Australia had a good run, and like with Team USA, the Mercury were represented. Penny Taylor was on the team, and she averaged 11.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals. Australia finished 7-1 during that run, and Taylor played in seven games.

Taylor and her team started their journey with a win over Belarus. They beat Belarus 83-64, and Taylor was one of four players who scored at least 10 points. She had 12 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Lauren Jackson was Australia's leader, as she had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Suzy Batkovic was the team's second-leading scorer, as she had 14 points, 12 rebounds and an assist. Then, Laura Hodges had 12 points, three rebounds and a steal.

Aug 13, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Australia forward Penny Taylor (7) brings the ball up the court as she is defended by Korea forward Yeonha Beon (10) during the second half of a preliminary round game at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Australia beat Korea 90-62. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

After that, Australia faced Brazil, and Taylor and her teammates picked up an 80-65 win. Hodges was the star this time around, and she had 18 points, six rebounds and an assist. The Mercury had four other players who scored 10 or more points.

Kristi Harrower had 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Taylor had an all-around game, as she had 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and an assist. Then, Jackson and Batkovic both had 10 points.

Australia's winning ways continued, as the team defeated South Korea. The Mercury forward was one of the key players in this win, as she had 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Batkovic also had 18 points and Jackson had 16.

Australia takes on Team USA

Taylor and the team kept winning, as they beat Latvia, Russia, Czech Republic and China. They were 7-0 going into the final game, and Team USA handed them a loss.

Kara Lawson was USA's top scorer with 15 points, and there were three other players who scored 10 or more. On the other side, Jackson finished with 20 points and Belinda Snell had 15. Taylor had a strong performance rebounding-wise, as she had nine boards. She also had eight points, an assist and a steal.

Aug 13, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Australia forward Penny Taylor (7) drives to the basket past Korea center Kweryong Kim (14) during the second half of a preliminary round game at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

Taylor had a great run, and while the final game did not go in Australia's favor, the team came away with a high honor.

Please follow us on X to read more about Penny Taylor's time in the Olympics when you click right here!

feed