BEIJING – Tuesday turned into a big disappointment for former LSU hurdler Lolo Jones, who was favored to provide the first gold medal for the athletes with Louisiana connections at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing.



Instead, Jones clipped the next-to-last hurdle in the women’s 100-meter hurdles final, lost momentum and watched as most of the field passed her in the final 20 meters. Jones finished seventh in the final, won in an upset by U.S. teammate Dawn Harper. The 26-year-old Jones led the entire race out of lane four until hitting the eighth hurdle.

“Honestly, it’s a shock,” Jones said. “It always happens, who knows, and she (Harper) was really fast.”

Another LSU-ex, Laverne Eve of the Bahamas, did not move out of the qualifying round of the women’s javelin with a best throw of 188-2 on her second attempt. However, ex-LSU sprinter Muna Lee easily advanced through two rounds of the 200-meter dash, winning her heat in 22.71 and finishing second in her quarterfinal in 22.83 to move into Wednesday’s morning semifinal.

The news for USA team squads with Louisiana connections was all good on Tuesday, and the Louisiana athletes played big roles in all three victories.

The U.S. volleyball team, one that includes Danielle Scott-Arruda of Baton Rouge and Kim Willoughby of Napoleonville, rallied for a stirring 20-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-18, 15-6 win over Italy in a late-night quarterfinal. Scott-Arruda had 17 points including 15-of-20 kills and two blocks and Willoughby had nine points on 9-of-14 kills.

The Americans move into the semifinals against Cuba, the only team to win over the U.S. in pool play, at 11:30 p.m. (Central) Wednesday. The U.S. has not taken a medal in women’s indoor volleyball since 1992.

The U.S. baseball team assured itself of a semifinal berth with a 4-2 win over Chinese Taipei, and New Orleans Zephyr pitcher Brandon Knight was the biggest reason. Knight threw six and one-third innings in getting the win, scattering five hits and allowing two earned runs while fanning five.

The baseball squad will play its final pool game vs. Japan Wednesday morning and will play in the semifinals either Thursday night or Friday morning.

The U.S. women’s basketball squad also moved into the semifinals Tuesday with an easy 104-60 win over Korea, and Sylvia Fowles had her biggest game of the Olympics. The former LSU standout had 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting and also had 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Baton Rouge product and ex-LSU standout Seimone Augustus added seven points and three assists as Team USA moved into a Thursday 7 a.m. semifinal against Russia.

Races eight and nine in the sailing competition were postponed Tuesday morning because of weather. Star class skipper John Dane III and Tornado class skipper John Lovell will sail in their final three qualifying races late Tuesday and early Wednesday (Central) in attempting to reach the medal race.

Dane stands 12th of 16 boats in Star and Lovell stands 14th of 17 boats in Tornado and must move up to the top 10 to sail in Thursday’s medal race.

The U.S. softball team plays its semifinal game against Japan at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Beijing).

Here's the upcoming schedule for  Louisiana athletes at the Olympic Games in Beijing (all times Central):

Late Tuesday
Softball – (coach Mike Candrea, New Orleans) semifinals vs. Japan, 8:30 p.m.
Sailing – (John Dane III, New Orleans) Star class races 8-10, 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and midnight; (John Lovell, Baton Rouge native, New Orleans resident), Tornado class races 8-10, 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and midnight.

Wednesday
Wrestling – (Daniel Cormier, Lafayette) 96 kg qualifying round, 8:30 p.m.; round of 16, 11:10 p.m.
Men’s Basketball – (Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets) quarterfinals vs. Australia, 7 a.m.
Track & Field -- (Muna Lee, ex-LSU) women’s 200-meter dash semifinals, 8:55 a.m.; (Leigh Smith, Destrehan, and Breaux Greer, former Monroe and ex-UL Monroe) men’s javelin qualifying, 8:10 p.m.
Baseball – (Brandon Knight, New Orleans Zephyrs) vs. Japan, 6 a.m.
Softball – (coach Mike Candrea, New Orleans) possible play-in game, 4 a.m.
Women’s Indoor Volleyball – (Danielle Scott-Arruda, Baton Rouge; Kim Willoughby, Napoleonville) semifinal vs. Cuba, 11:30 p.m.

Thursday (some subject to change pending earlier results)
Wrestling – (Daniel Cormier) 96 kg quarterfinals, 12:30 a.m.; semifinals 1:10 a.m.; repechage round 3 a.m.; bronze & gold medal matches, 5 a.m.
Track & Field -- (Muna Lee, ex-LSU) women’s 200-meter dash finals, 8:10 a.m.; (Lee and Kelly Baptiste, Trinidad & Tobago, ex-LSU) women’s 400-meter relay first round, 7 a.m.; (Richard Thompson, Trinidad & Tobago, ex-LSU) men’s 400-meter relay first round, 7:25 a.m.
Softball – (coach Mike Candrea, New Orleans) possible gold medal game, 5:30 a.m.
Women’s Basketball – (Seimone Augustus, Baton Rouge and ex-LSU, and Sylvia Fowles, ex-LSU) semifinal vs. Russia, 7 a.m.
Sailing – (John Dane III, New Orleans) Star class possible medal race, 12:05 a.m.; (John Lovell, Baton Rouge native, New Orleans resident), Tornado class possible medal race, 12:05 a.m.
Baseball – (Brandon Knight, New Orleans Zephyrs) possible semifinal game, 9:30 p.m.

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