Elena Delle Donne, U.S. women's hoops team to play Olympic tuneup in Delaware

As part of a four-team pre-Olympic warmup tournament, the U.S. squad will play France - the team it beat in the 2012 gold medal game - at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m.

The other teams in the event are Australia and Canada. They'll play at the Carpenter Center at 5 p.m. that day.

After the doubleheader in Newark, the four teams will head to Bridgeport, Conn., where the Americans will play Canada and Australia will play France.
The U.S.-Canada game will set the stage for a matchup in Rio de Janeiro between the two nations. And of course, it will be a return to Connecticut for the team's many stars with UConn ties: Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Tina Charles and head coach Geno Auriemma.

The tournament concludes at Madison Square Garden on July 31 with the U.S. playing Australia and France playing Canada.

Tickets go on sale June 13 at usab.com/showcase.

"This tournament with Australia, Canada and France, three of the top teams in the world, is an incredible opportunity for our team to prepare for Rio," the said Auriemma, who grew up in Norristown. "I think each of these games will be competitive and be a really, really good preview of what you'll see in August at the Olympics"

Two of Auriemma's assistants also have ties to the Philadelphia region: Philadelphia native and former Temple head coach Dawn Staley, and La Salle alum and former head coach Cheryl Reeve.