Team USA's Diana Taurasi (right) shoots over the Czech Republic's Ivana Vecerova during their women's basketball game yesterday.- AP

BEIJING (AP):

WITH US President George W. Bush looking on, the American women's basketball team began its quest for a fourth-straight gold medal with a rout of the Czech Republic.

Diana Taurasi scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half to lead the US to the 97-57 victory on Saturday night.

The Americans got off to a slow start before Taurasi got the team rolling much to the pleasure of Bush, who was dressed in a blue shirt and USA cap. Taurasi's layup ignited a 20-4 run by the US to close the first quarter.

Sylvia Fowles scored 15 of her game-high 18 points in the second half for the US.

WNBA star Lauren Jackson led medal favourites Australia with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Opals opened with an 83-64 win over Belarus.

Australia have lost the past two Olympic finals to the US but come into the 2008 Beijing Games as world champions. A close 71-67 loss to the Americans in the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament in Hainang last week, the first match between the teams since the Athens 2004 final, highlighted how close the competition could be in Beijing.