Eight teams saw action in the opening day of the 2016 Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Contenders Australia and Canada picked up big wins, while France and Japan also entered the win column.
Here's the August 6 round-up of the tournament.
FRANCE 55, TURKEY 39
France overcame a slow start and the absence of veteran playmaker Celine Dumerc to open its Olympic campaign on a good note.
Turkey scored the game's first eight points, and took a 16-8 lead after the opening quarter, but France came back and went to work defensively. France limited Turkey to only three points in the entire second period to surge ahead, 22-19.
France repeated the same thing in the fourth quarter, outscoring Turkey 14-4 to pull away for good.
Forward Sarah Michel led the Les Bleus with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Endy Miyem had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
France limited Turkey to just 24 percent shooting from the field in the entire contest. France also had a 45-34 lead in rebounding.
Nevriye Yilmaz led Turkey with 16 points and six rebounds. Birsel Vardarli-Demirmen added 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists although shot only 2-for-13 from the field.
CANADA 90, CHINA 68
A 19-9 first quarter was all Canada needed to pull away against China and book an impressive win on opening day.
Four players scored in double-digits for the FIBA Americas champions, led by Tamara Tatham who poured in 20 points in less than 24 minutes, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point area.
Lizanne Murphy added 12 points while Miah-Marie Langlois tallied 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Canada shot 50 percent from the field, including an astounding 11-for-17 from three-point area. The team also assisted 31 of its 32 field goal makes.
Chen Nan led China with 13 points while Chen Xiaojia added 12 points. Key player Shao Ting was limited to only six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
AUSTRALIA 84, BRAZIL 66
Australia overcame explosive first quarter from Iziane Castro behind the trio of Liz Cambage, Leilani Mitchell, and Penny Taylor, which combined for 55 points.
Castro dropped 11 of her game-high 25 points in the first period, as the home side took a 24-14 lead. But the Opals went on to outscore their foes in the middle quarters, 43-29 before exploding for 27 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Cambage towered with 20 points, 14 boards, and two blocks. Mitchell had 18 points including 3-for-5 from three-point range and six assists. Taylor added 17 points on 60 percent shooting while Marianna Tolo and Cayla George each scored nine points.
Castro shot 10-for-17 from the field. Clarissa Dos Santos tallied a double-double of 10 points and 13 boards.
JAPAN 77, BELARUS 73
Japan prevailed over Belarus in the last match of opening day, thanks to clutch free throws from Asami Yoshida in the final 12 seconds which gave the Asian champions the enough cushion to hold on for the win.
Both teams had a back and forth battle throughout the entire contest and entered the fourth quarter with the score tied at 60 apiece.
An Aliaksandra Tarasava triple pushed Belarus ahead, 65-64, but a basket by Ramu Tokashiki followed by a three from Moeko Nagaoka gave Japan a 69-65 lead.
Japan maintained hold of the lead until the final moments of the game. Katsiaryna Snytsina's three made it a 75-73 game, althoug Yoshida came up clutch with two free throws.
Mika Kurihara led the Asian side with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Tokashiki added 16 points while Maki Takada had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Yelena Leuchanka led four players in double-digits for Belarus with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and nine rebounds. Snytsina chipped in 14 points while Lindsey Harding had 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
TEAM STANDINGS AFTER AUGUST 6:
Group A
Australia 1-0
France 1-0
Japan 1-0
Belarus 0-1
Turkey 0-1
Brazil 0-1
Group B
Canada 1-0
United States 0-0
Serbia 0-0
Spain 0-0
Senegal 0-0
China 0-1
AUGUST 7 SCHEDULE:
United States vs Senegal
Serbia vs Spain
Turkey vs Australia
France vs Belarus
All photos from FIBA.com
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