Dumerc the star of the show

LONDON (Jeff Taylor's London Calling) - Celine Dumerc didn't have the best of seasons on her return to former club Bourges in France with injuries playing a big part, but with the national team, she couldn't have done any more to help Les Bleues capture a silver medal at the Olympics.

The 30-year-old point guard turned in her finest performance in a French shirt at the London Games, helping Les Bleues capture the silver medal.

One game after another, Dumerc took center stage as France beat all comers.

They beat not only Australia in overtime, but hosts Great Britain as well.

Dumerc hit a three-pointer at the OT buzzer to win that game.

She became the face of the Olympic women’s basketball tournament.

While France didn't come close to upsetting the United States, the coach of the Americans, Geno Auriemma, showered praise on the 1.69m playmaker who averaged 14.2 points, 3.4 assists and 1.63 steals per game.

"I think if you take us out of the tournament, honestly I’m partial to our team; I thought France was the team of the tournament," Auriemma said.

"The way they played consistently from day one all the way to the end, and I thought Celine was the most important player and the most impactful player in the tournament, and I just want to say congratulations."

If Auriemma says Dumerc was second to none in London, that's good enough for me to name her the MVP of the women's tournament.

Among other members of my all-tournament team are Candace Parker and Lauren Jackson.

Parker saved her best game for last for the United States, scoring 21 points and corralling 11 rebounds in their 86-50 triumph over France.

When the Europeans were close in the first half, Parker scored repeatedly in the low post, often after grabbing offensive rebounds.

Jackson, who became the Olympics' all-time leading scorer, had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Opals in their bronze-medal triumph over Russia.

The 1.95m center, battling back from injuries in the last year, had to carry much of the burden for the Opals after Penny Taylor was lost to a serious knee injury at the EuroLeague Women Final Eight.

Jackson finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds in her team's Semi-Final defeat to the United States.

Becky Hammon's last Olympics with Russia didn't end with a medal, but she could not have done anymore to help them reach the Semi-Finals.

Hammon only shot 30.6% from three-point range but made plenty of big plays to help her team stay in the medal hunt.

She averaged 12.1 points and four assists.

In her last three games against Turkey, France and Australia, Hammon scored 19 points, 13 and 19, respectively.

Diana Taurasi shot a USA best 42.9% (15 of 35) from behind the arc and led the team in scoring at 12.4 points per contest.

Her defensive pressure also wreaked havoc in the final challenge against France.

Taurasi, 30, is at the top of her game.

She’ll be in the mix again when the United States go after a sixth consecutive gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.

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