ISTANBUL (AP) — Brittney Griner was a little surprised.
Moments after the United States had just beaten Angola in the most lopsided victory in team history at the World Championship, the players from the African nation wanted to take photos with the Americans.
The Angola team was so excited to see Griner and her American teammates that they spent ten minutes after the game in front of the locker room taking picture after picture. They didn’t care that they had just lost by 75 points.
“It was definitely strange and something I’ve never experienced before,” said Griner, who had 15 points for the U.S. in a record 119-44 rout Tuesday night. “They were even talking on the court after I blocked a shot the girl wagged her finger at me and said no more, no more.”
The victory was the biggest for the Americans in the worlds, surpassing the 70-point rout of Senegal in 1990.
The 119 points also tied the most ever for the U.S., matching the total the team had against China in 2006. Still, the points and the final margin never mattered to coach Geno Auriemma or his players.
The U.S. (3-0) will face the winner of France and Brazil on Friday night. The Americans lost an exhibition game to France last week.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 18 points to lead a balanced U.S. offense that saw five players in double figures and three more with nine points each.
African teams are still looking for their first win in a preliminary round game of the world championship. All their wins have come in the classification rounds without a chance for a medal at stake.
These two teams have only met one other time and that was in the 2012 London Olympics, a 90-38 U.S. win.
In other action Tuesday in Group D, Serbia edged China 65-63; Australia routed Belarus 87-45 to win Group C while Cuba beat Korea 73-57 to advance to the qualifying round.
Spain won Group A topping the Czech Republic 67-43 and Brazil advanced to the next round beating Japan 79-56.
Turkey, which already clinched Group B, beat Mozambique 64-54 and France edged Canada 63-59.
