— FIBA (@FIBA) June 14, 2016The 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women kicked off last night in Nantes, France. The host squad got off to a good start, taking a win over Cuba. China, Belarus, and Argentina all recorded wins on opening day as well.
Here is the Day 1 round-up of the tournament.
China 77, Venezuela 59
China moved a step closer to getting an Olympics spot after defeating Venezuela, 77-59 in Group D. China outscored its opponent 46-21 in the middle quarters, breaking the game wide open.
The Asian powerhouse is seeking to preserve its current streak of Olympic appearances (2004, 2008, 2012). The team did not qualify outright because Japan triumphed in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, claiming the lone outright spot at stake in the continent.
Sun Meng Xin scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting to lead all scorers. Shao Ting added 14 points and four assists. Waleska Perez led Venezuela with 23 points.
China assisted 27 of its 29 field goal makes, 14 more than Venezuela's assists. Venezuela shot only 29.3 percent and committed 15 turnovers.
Belarus 71, Nigeria 60
Four players scored in double-digits as Belarus started its Group C campaign on a good note. Belarus used only eight players in the game, but had a 20-11 lead in assists and a 40-32 lead in rebounding.
Yelena Leuchanka scored a double-double of 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 13 rebounds, and added five assists to lead Belarus. Maryia Papova and Anastasiya Verameyenka scored 13 points apiece. Lindsey Harding added 11 points.
Adaora Elonu had 19 points and seven boards for Nigeria while Ndidi Madu added 10 points. The duo went 13-for-19 from the field.
Down 18-17 in the second quarter, Belarus launched a 12-2 run to take a 29-20 cushion. Papova capped the run with a triple, as Belarus took control of the match until the end.
Argentina 75, Cameroon 64
Argentina used a 43-23 first half to break away and defeat Cameroon in Group B.
Five players scored in double-digits for Argentina. Melisa Gretter and Gisela Vega both tallied 15 points. Gretter added seven rebounds and six assists, while Vega grabbed nine boards.
Argentina never trailed in the match, and pulled away from a 2-all deadlock early in the first quarter, building a double-digit cushion.
Guard Ramses Lonlack paced Cameroon with 25 points.
France 83, Cuba 67
The home side proved to be too much for Cuba in Group A. Endy Miyem scored 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting and had six rebounds to lead France.
Isabelle Yacoubou added 10 points and seven rebounds while Val Ayayi also contributed 10 points. All players were able to score for France, which shot 47.1 percent from the field and assisted 31 of 33 field goal makes.
Cuba was still in the game, trailing by just 29-21 when France scored 11 straight points. France went on to outscore Cuba 30-14 in the second quarter.
Clenia Noblet had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Cuba while Anisleidy Galindo chipped in 15 points.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the knockout quarter-finals. The top five teams at the end of the tournament shall advance to the Rio Olympics and join the United States, Brazil, Serbia, Canada, Senegal, Japan, and Australia.
(All videos from FIBA)
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