Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-16 01:19:24

(BEIJING, August 15) — Belarus trailed earlier in the match but bounced back to defeat the Republic of Korea 63-53 in the preliminary round of the Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament on Friday, August 15.

Belarus forward Katsiaryna Snytsina was the top scorer of the game, netting 15 points with five rebounds. Anastasiya Verameyenka came just behind her teammate with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

It was actually the Asian champion who built up the first lead on a 9-0 run in the beginning, but the ROK was only able to take a three-point lead into the second period at 15-12. Belarus soon bounced back to gain the upper hand, going to the half at 33-28. They stayed above the ROK the rest of the game to close it 63-53.

The ROK’s loss was partly due to its poor shooting percentage from behind the arc, hitting four of 27 compared to five of 28 by Belarus.

“They were looking for that long three each time down the court,” said Belarus forward Tatyana Troina. “But it wasn’t their night tonight. It’s lucky for us, because those shots are hard to defend.”

Belarus had a height advantage over the ROK, allowing them to score more inside. “They are taller than us, and their offense in the paint zone is good,” Park Jun-geun commented on her opponents. “Also, our stamina cannot match up with theirs. It was already late when the game started, and this affected us as well.”

ROK captain Jung Sun-min tied with teammate Lee Mi-sun, each contributing 10 points. Beon Yeon-ha scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.

Updated: 2008-08-16 01:17:17

(BEIJING, August 15) — Losses suffered by Brazil, Mali and New Zealand on Friday, August 15 ensure these teams will not make it to the quarterfinal round of the Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament.

Group A

The group A heartbreaker game of the day was Brazil’s 74-64 loss to Russia. The match stayed neck-and-neck until Russia managed to pull ahead at the end of the final quarter. This buries World No. 4 Brazil’s quarterfinal dreams. “We lost some players, others got injured and we were in the toughest group,” says Brazilian coach Paulo Bassuls.

“We have been close in all of our matches but couldn’t finish them they way we wanted. We have four years to give these players the responsibility of being the leaders. They will become the leaders if they play international games,” Bassuls predicts.

The good news in this group goes to Belarus, who had never even played in a EuroBasket and now has earned itself a quarterfinal berth by beating the Republic of Korea 63-53. The ROK relied too heavily on outside shooting on a night where the buckets just weren’t dropping for the Asian champions.

Meanwhile, the world champion Australians stepped up their defense in the third quarter to capture a 96-73 win over Latvia, their fourth in a row. Latvia, meanwhile, is left with a 1-3 record and must win against the Republic of Korea on August 17 to have a quarterfinal shot. Lauren Jackson made five of nine shots from behind the arc and scored a tournament-high 30 points for the Opals.

Group B

By beating Mali 69-48, China made it to the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years and ensured that Mali will not reach the next round. China’s success was mainly due to captain Miao Lijie, who scored 25 points including five three pointers. Mali played again without captain Hamchetou Maiga who sprained her ankle. Mali has made quite an impression with their rebounding in this Olympics. They won that battle against China, 50-41, with Djenebou Sissoko pulling down an impressive 19, the highest amount for a single game in this competition.

Just like China did to Mali, the Czech Republic crushed New Zealand’s hopes for a quarterfinal appearance. Gambrinus Brno duo Hana Machova and Eva Viteckova combined for 44 points to lead the Czechs to a big 90-59 victory.

Spain managed to trail only 39-34 after the first two periods of its match against the defending Olympic champion United States, but ultimately rolled to a 93-55 defeat. After playing a close game like it was looking for an upset, Spain failed to follow up on its first half performance and scored just 21 points in the last two quarters. Tina Thompson led the United States to pull away with 12 points in the second half, 17 total.

Updated: 2008-08-16 00:43:37

Lisa Leslie of the United States shoots. (Photo credit: Meng Yongmin/Xinhua)

The United States recovered from an even first half to dominate World No. 5 Spain 93-55, on day four of the Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament on Friday, August 15.

Anna Montanana (R) of Spain tries to shoot. (Photo credit: Meng Yongmin/Xinhua)
Seimone Augustus of the United States dribbles in. (Photo credit: Meng Yongmin/Xinhua)
Alba Torrens of Spain competes. (Photo credit: Meng Yongmin/Xinhua)

Updated: 2008-08-15 23:56:23

(BEIJING, August 15) — Every team is looking for a crucial win, either to clinch a quarterfinal spot or secure a higher seed in the next round, on day four of the Olympic Men’s Basketball tournament on Saturday, August 16.

9:00 a.m. (UTC/GMT

Greece vs. Angola (group B)

With a 1-2 record, Greece need one more win to give them a realistic chance to place in the quarterfinals, while 0-3 Angola must win both their two remaining games to progress.

Greece and Germany share the same risk of having to meet the group A No. 1 seed in the next round, so Greece will be looking to defeat Angola by as many points as possible in case points become a tie-breaking factor in the rankings. Luckily for Greece, Angola has the worst defense of any team, conceding 92.3 points per game.

Greece’s leading scorer is guard Vasileios Spanoulis with 17.3 points per game, while Angola is led by forward Carlos Morais with 17 points per game. Overall, Greece is averaging 74 points per game with Angola scoring on average 70.

11:15 a.m. (UTC/GMT

Russia vs. Australia (group A)

Both teams are battling for the final quarterfinal position in group A, and share a 1-2 record. The match will be a battle of Australia’s superior attack, 85.3 points per game compared with Russia’s 76, versus Russia’s strong defense, conceding 73.3 points per game compared with 83.3 for Australia.

Considering each of the teams’ two remaining matches, both Russia and Australia should view this one as their best chance for a win. Australia next plays group A leaders Lithuania while Russia faces Argentina.

2:30 p.m. (UTC/GMT

Croatia vs. Lithuania (group A)

Lithuania has already qualified for the quarterfinals with a 3-0 record while Croatia has won two and lost one. Victory could secure Lithuania the first place spot in group A, depending on other results, while for Croatia it could help secure a top-two seeding. A loss for Croatia, however, will mean there is a chance they could miss out on qualification.

Lithuania is second only to the United States in points scored per game with 88, and also second overall in rebounding with 37.7 boards per game

These two teams met in the 2007 EuroBasket, where Croatian guard Zoran Planinic missed two foul shots with one second left, allowing Lithuania to win 74-72 and advance to the semifinal.

4:45 p.m. (UTC/GMT

Iran vs. Argentina (group A)

Argentina is second to Lithuania in group A and tied on wins and losses with Croatia at 2-1. Manu Ginobili is the tournament’s second-highest scorer with 18 points per game, and leads all players in assists with 5.7 per match. Iran center Hamed Ehadadi continues to lead all players in blocked shots with three per game, but his team remains 0-3 and would only have a chance to advance to the semifinal if it pulls off this unlikely win against the defending Olympic champion.

8:00 p.m. (UTC/GMT

China vs. Germany (group B)

China, Germany and Greece are all tied in Group B with one win and two losses. A win in this game will be crucial for either team, especially considering China will play Greece in their final preliminary game and Germany will face the United States. Germany has been shooting well outside the three-point line, making 42.3 per cent of all attempts - the second-best record in the tournament. China’s defense will need to improve, having conceded 84.7 points per game - the third-worst record of any team.

Yao Ming is averaging 18 points per game and a tournament-high 8.7 rebounds per contest, while Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 15.7 points.

After losing 72-59 to Spain in his previous match, Nowitzki reiterated how important this game against China will be. “It’s a must-win situation for us if we are to make it to quarterfinals,” he said. “We knew this before the tournament. They all shoot extremely well. I watched (the China-Spain) game and they should have beaten Spain. It’ll be a tough game with the home crowd. It’s certainly a home court advantage but it’ll be fun.”

10:15 p.m. (UTC/GMT

Spain vs. United States (group B)

The result of this game will determine who finishes on top in Group B. Both teams go into the game with 3-0 records. The United States has the best offensive production of any team, scoring 96.7 points per game, while Spain has the defensive advantage over their opponents, conceding 66.7 points per game compared to Team USA with 71.7.

Dwayne Wade leads all scorers with 18.3 points per game and is shooting 76 percent from the field. Forward Pau Gasol leads Spain’s scorers with 17.7 points per game while also hauling in 6.7 rebounds per contest.

Updated: 2008-08-15 21:59:43

(BEIJING, August 15) — The United States recovered from an even first half to dominate World No. 5 Spain 93-55, on day four of the Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament on Friday, August 15.

Spain caught up with the defending Olympic champion after trailing in the first quarter, ending it 22-17, and went on to match the US team point for point in the second period, going to the break 39-34 after each side added 17 to their score.

With Spain angling for an upset, Team USA came back strong in the third period, especially after Anna Montanana was called for both a personal and technical foul on forward Tina Thompson. Thompson went to the line and sank three of four shots. Thompson went on to lead the quarter’s scoring with six more points in the paint, and the United States put up 23 points total while simultaneously holding Spain to 10. In the fourth period, the US team racked up 31 points as Spain only gained another 11, ending the game 93-55.

Thompson led her team in overall scoring with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Lisa Leslie grabbed the game-high 11 rebounds to complement her 14 points, achieving another double-double. Leslie is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, and has hit 20 of 32 attempted field goals so far in the tournament.

Forward Amaya Valdemoro contributed 17 points for the Spanish team.

Updated: 2008-08-15 19:16:29

(BEIJING, August 15) — China led the score throughout its group B preliminary match to beat Mali 69-48 on day four of the Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament on Friday, August 15.

China’s Miao Lijie was the game’s highest scorer, netting 25 points and grabbing five rebounds. She made five of her eight three-pointers for 63 percent on long range shooting.

Mali’s Djene Diawara and Aminata Sininta scored 11 points apiece to be the biggest contributors from their team. Diawara also grabbed 12 rebounds, while teammate Djenebou Sissoko got 19 boards.

China set the pace from the beginning, reaching a 10 point lead at the end of the first period. The second quarter saw the gap widen throughout the ten minutes to 17 points, reaching 37-20 at the half.

However, Mali did a better job in the third quarter, gaining the same 15 points as China to avoid further extending their deficit. Mali even scored one more point than China in the last quarter, but the gap in the first half was too much for Mali to overcome. The match finally ended 69-48 in China’s favor.

With this victory, China qualifies for the Women’s Basketball quarterfinals for the first time since 1992. China will meet the Czech Republic for its last preliminary round game on Sunday, August 17.

“We are not going to sit down and say that was that,” said China coach Tom Maher. “If we win Sunday’s game (against the Czech Republic), we will have an easier cross-over (game in the quarterfinals).”

“We are looking forward to the Czechs. We have never beaten them and, in the last Olympics, they beat us by 40. Now we have a chance.”

Updated: 2008-08-15 16:45:39

(BEIJING, August 15) — Russia pulled a reversal in the fourth quarter to beat Brazil 74-64 in a group A preliminary match on Friday, August 15.

Brazil came out strong, only one point behind midway through the opening quarter and outscored Russia 26-21 at the end of the ten minutes. Russia made a big effort to catch up and once equalized the score 31-31 in the second quarter, but Brazil successfully widened the gap to six points and ended the half 41-35.

Russia woke up a little in the third quarter, grabbing 19 points while Brazil got 15. This narrowed the deficit to two points, with Brazil leading 56-54. The fourth quarter saw Russia overcome Brazil’s tough defense and complete their reversal, leading 65-60 halfway and 74-64 at the end of the match.

“All of the games are tight, and this one was no different. (Adriana Pinto) caught fire at the end and made it difficult, but we found a way to win.” said Russian guard Becky Hammon.

Brazil’s Adriana Pinto was the game’s high scorer, netting 21 points and giving six assists. She made five of her seven three-pointer attempts, reaching a shooting percentage of 71%.

Russia’s Tatiana Shchegoleva made the biggest contribution for her team, with 14 points and six rebounds. Her teammates Hammon and Marina Karpunina scored 11 points apiece.