Newcomer Serbia capped its respectable debut with a bronze medal in the 2016 Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament after beating France, on Saturday at the Carioca Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Unlike in its semi-finals match against Spain where the team struggled to find any sort of rhythm, Serbia had a great start before using a 28-15 third quarter to pull away and end its first ever women's basketball appearance with a podium finish.
Jelena Milovanovic finished with a game-high 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Ana Dabovic had 11 points and five assists, while Sonja Petrovic and Danielle Page each added 10 points.
Milovanovic and Milica Dabovic combined for 16 of Serbia's first 18 points, with back to back threes from the duo giving the EuroBasket winners an 18-7 lead.
But France fought back, even taking a 27-25 lead in the second quarter after an 8-0 run. Teams entered the halftime break with the score knotted at 27 apiece, and France took a 40-37 lead on free throws by Val Ayayi.
Photos: 2016 Rio Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Final Day
Photos: 2016 Rio Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Medal Ceremony
That was when Serbia unleashed a string of 16 unanswered points, which included long range shots from Petrovic, Page, and Sasa Cado. Petrovic had eight points in the stretch, as the Serbs took a 53-40 cushion.
The team never went threatened after that point to secure the final medal at stake in the games.
Serbia shot 40 percent from three-point area, a huge improvement from its 2-for-12 clip from the same range against Spain.
Endy Miyem tallied 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting while Ayayi had 10 points for the Les Bleus, silver medalists of the 2012 London Olympics.
All photos from FIBA.com
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