NAMES IN THE NEWS : Edwards Leads U.S. Past Cuba

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The United States, trailing by eight points in the second half, rallied behind Teresa Edwards for an 87-78 victory over Cuba in its first final-round match of the women’s World Basketball Championships on Tuesday night.

The defending champion Americans, who have won the title four times, fell behind, 7-0, to the Pan-American Games champion before Edwards, who finished with 32 points, hit a three-point basket.

The Cubans, who lost to Yugoslavia in the preliminary round, had leads of 18-9, 26-17 and 41-32, primarily on the shooting of Regla Hernandez and Yamilet Martinez. The Americans tied it at 41 with 1:17 left in the half.

The Cubans led at halftime, 47-45, and built a 57-49 lead before the United States scored 10 straight points to take its first lead at 58-57 with 13 minutes left. The United States had another 10-point run with the score tied at 65 to take a 75-65 lead it never lost.