Group A action in the 2016 Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil concluded with Australia taking the top spot following a 74-66 win over Belarus. Turkey and Japan also tallied wins to formalize their entries to the tournament quarter-finals.
Here is the August 13 round-up of the tournament.
AUSTRALIA 74, BELARUS 66
Coming off a close win over Japan in a game which Australia trailed for most parts, the Opals once again found themselves almost paying for a sluggish start. Luckily, Australia has its reliable bench to thank as it helped the squad beat Belarus, 74-66.
Though the game has no bearing for the Opals, they outscored Belarus, 22-7 in the fourth period to overcome a double-digit deficit and sweep their group phase schedule.
Liz Cambage had 17 points and nine boards while Penny Taylor added 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Katie Ebzery and Cayla George each scored nine points.
Australia struggled with foul trouble hounding its key players in the first three quarters. Belarus asserted control in the first half, before opening a 13-point lead in the third quarter.
A jumper by Lindsey Harding gave Belarus a 52-39 lead. Later, a triple by Tatiana Troina made it 57-44.
But an 18-5 run bridging the third and fourth periods allowed Australia to tie the match at 62 apiece. A jumper by Taylor followed by two free throws by Cambage capped the run, before a three-point play from Cambage and a three from Tessa Lavey pushed the Opals ahead, 68-62.
Harding led Belarus with 16 points although she shot 4-for-16 from the floor. Yelena Leuchanka added 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists whilr Tatsiana Likhtarovich and Anastasiya Verameyenka added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Australia's bench outscored Belarus' reserves, 38-3. The Opals also had a 46-35 edge in rebounding although the team led for a total of just 4:44.
Belarus finished with a 1-4 record in Group A, which could have been better had they done a better job of closing out some of their games. Belarus lost to France by one, to Turkey by three, and to Japan by four. The Rio games is only the second Olympic appearance for the country.
TURKEY 79, BRAZIL 76 (2 OT)
Turkey needed two overtimes to outlast the host nation and avoid a fourth-place finish in Group A.
Brazil led by as much as 18 points after going on a 16-0 run in the second quarter which turned a slim 15-13 lead into a more comfortable 31-13 cushion.
The home side was still ahead in the third period, 43-25 but Isil Alben and Lara Sanders joined hands to bring the deficit down to just six entering the final quarter, 47-41.
Six straight points by Sebnem Kimyacioglu on two long range shots then gave Turkey a 54-50 lead in the fourth quarter. Turkey took a 60-54 lead with just over two minutes remaining, but Erika De Souza scored regulation's last six points to force extension.
Brazil had a chance to win in the first overtime, as Iziane Castro's two free throws pushed the advantage up to 70-65 with only over a minute left. However, Kimyacioglu again hit a three followed by a basket fro, Alben which sent the game to a second overtime.
Alben took over in the second extension, scoring five points, before Sanders sealed the win with two foul shots.
Alben filled the stat sheets with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting, nine rebounds, five assists, and eight steals. Sanders had 23 points and 10 boards, and shot 9-for-12 from the foul line. Kimyacioglu and Nevriye Yilmaz each scored 14 points.
Though giving up a 42-22 disparity in points in the paint, Turkey's bench outscored Brazil's, 19-3, and the team also scored 26 points off turnovers compared to only 13 from its opponent.
Castro had 22 points and eight assists for Brazil, but shot only 8-for-20 from the field and committed eight turnovers as well.
Frontliners Clarissa Dos Santos (17 points, 11 rebounds), De Souza (16 points, 11 rebounds), and Damiris Dantas (12 points, 11 rebounds) all tallied double-doubles.
Brazil finished with a winless record in Group A.
JAPAN 79, FRANCE 71
Japan capped its group phase campaign by slaying another established European squad to finish with a 3-2 record.
A 23-13 second quarter for Japan created the separation against France. The game was still tied at 30-all before four straight points from Asami Yoshida preceded a 10-2 run for the Asian champions to end the half.
France was able to tie the game again at 40 apiece after eight unanswered points to open the third quarter, but back to back triples from Kaede Kondo restored the advantage for Japan.
Yoshida finished with a game-high 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting, seven assists, and four steals. Sanae Motokawa added 17 points while Ramu Tokashiki chipped in 14 points.
Olivia Epoupa had 14 points and seven boards for France. Isabelle Yacoubou also had 14 points while Endy Miyem and Sandrine Gruda each had 10 points.
Japan won despite giving up a 43-22 lead in rebounding and 22 second chance points to France.
Unfortunately, Japan still finished fourth in Group A due to an inferior quotient (a 14-point loss to Turkey certainly hurt the team's chances) and shall face the United States in the quarter-finals.
France finished in second place while Turkey settled for third spot. France will face the loser of the Spain-Canada battle in Group B, whkle Turkey will take on the same game's winner.
TEAM STANDINGS AFTER AUGUST 13:
Group A
1. Australia 5-0
2. France 3-2 (+8)
3. Turkey 3-2 (-2)
4. Japan 3-2 (-6)
5. Belarus 1-4
6. Brazil 0-5
Group B
United States 4-0
Canada 3-1
Spain 3-1
Serbia 1-3
China 1-3
Senegal 0-4
AUGUST 14 SCHEDULE:
China vs United States
Senegal vs Serbia
Spain vs Canada
All photos from FIBA.com
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