Taylor led her Italian Club side Famila Schio to victory over the Gems in Italy 86-65, but afterwards spent time with her young compatriots to offer an insight into what it takes to reach the mountaintop of world basketball.

The Gems are using an Italian tour to prepare for the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship for women, set to take place in the Slovak Republic in July and August.

"Penny was terrific," Gems head coach Dean Kinsman said of Taylor, herself a former Gem.

"Her athleticism and the way she moved around the court were excellent.

"She chatted with our coaching staff before the game and then after the game she warmed down and stretched with our girls and said a few words about our upcoming world championship.

"She even came back to our hotel and ordered some pizzas for us in her fluent Italian.

"She is an inspiration and a great ambassador for Australia."

Despite the match being a ‘friendly’, Schio opened the game with extended pressure on the ball, complimented by a 78 per cent opening quarter shooting percentage that saw them ahead 30-14 at the first break.

The Gems displayed a fierce determination on the defensive end in the second quarter to slow Schio’s momentum, but against a team featuring the offensive firepower of four WNBA players they trailed at half time, 51-29.

When the Gems found another gear in the second half a victory was almost beyond reach and with a quarter to play the score line ominously read 73-43.

But in true Aussie style the Gems continued to fight, actually winning the second half by a point 36-35 but falling well short of a miraculous come back victory.

Los Angeles Spark Raffaela Masciardi was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, followed by Taylor with 15 points.

Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) duo Marianna Tolo and Cayla Francis top scored for the Gems with 13 and 12 points respectively, while Canberra Capital Abby Bishop added 11 points.

"Schio are a fantastic team and they played extremely well," Kinsman said. "Their first 15 minutes was outstanding.

"In fact, it was one of the highest quality games that I’ve ever been involved with.

"They are a real threat to win the Italian Serie A competition, so I am particularly pleased with the way we hung in there in the second half."

The Gems depart Schio for Venice tomorrow where they will enjoy a morning in the Adriatic jewel before a game against the local Serie A team, Venezia.

A return trip to Milan the following day ends the Gems’ Italian tour. They will arrive back in Australia on QF32 at 7:30pm AEDT on Saturday night.

AUSTRALIA 65 – Tolo 13, Francis 12, Bishop 11
FAMILA SCHIO 86 – Masciardi 17, Taylor 15

Article courtesy of www.fiba.com