The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, August 9) -- World No. 1 the United States demolished World No. 9 the Czech Republic 97-57 in the Women's Basketball preliminary round on Saturday, August 9. Meanwhile, favorites Australia crushed underdogs Belarus 83-64.
Apart from the two double-digit wipe-outs, the day's four other matches were all closely contested. Asian champion the Republic of Korea (ROK) needed an overtime period to hold off World No. 4 Brazil 68-62, while hosts China edged out Spain 67-64. World champions New Zealand prevailed over Mali 76-72, and World No. 3 Russia avoided an upset by a determined Latvia in a hard fought 62-57 victory.
1. Much more than "demolish"
World No. 1 USA vs. World No. 9 Czech Republic 97-57
The Czech Republic caused a stir with an 8-0 opener but World No. 1 the United States fought back to tear apart the World number nine 97-57 for a strong start in their quest for a fourth consecutive Olympic gold.
The United States had three players with double-digit scoring, burying 37 of 71 (52%) from the floor compared to 20 of 55 (36%) by their opponents, who conceded 27 turnovers under the US team's aggressive offense.
US center Sylvia Fowles was the star of the match, dominating the paint with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Diana Taurasai added 17 points. Eva Viteckova was the top scorer for the Czech Republic, dropping 12 points in 22 minutes.
World No. 2 Australia vs. World No. 30 Belarus 83-64
Defending world champions Australia thrashed Belarus 83-64 to start their run for Olympic gold.
The Opals were a class above their opponents, outscoring and outrebounding Belarus on their way to an easy triumph.
Lauren Jackson was the high scorer of the game, netting 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Australia had three players score in the double digits to help the team secure the win: Suzy Batkovic, Penny Taylor and Laura Summerton.
Yelena Leuchanka was Belarus's biggest contributor, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and one assist. Her teammate Tatyana Troina also scored 13 points.
This is the first time in 10 years as an independent country that Belarus has qualified for the Olympic Basketball tournament, after stunning World No. 4 Brazil at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament this summer.
2. An Overtime thriller
World No. 7 ROK vs. World No. 4 Brazil 68-62
Asian Champion the Republic of Korea needed an overtime period to edge out World No. 4 Brazil 68-62.
The match was closely contested and the two sides were tied at 55-55 with 21 seconds left in the game. A missed two-point buzzer-beater by forward Micaela Jacinto ruined Brazil's hopes of prevailing in the final moment and forced overtime.
World No. 7 ROK ran away with the score during the five-minute overtime, with a 9-0 run that led to a 66-57 advantage. Brazilian guard Adriana Pinto responded with a fast-breaking lay-up to make it 66-59 before burying a three-pointer with 10 seconds left on the clock, but it was only enough to end the game 68-62 in favor of the 2007 Asian Champions.
3. Underdogs' surprise
World No. 3 Russia vs. World No. 26 Latvia 62-57
Underdogs Latvia were impressive in their first Olympic debut with a closely contested match against Russia, the defending European champions and 2006 World Championship silver medalists.
After trailing 14-7 in the first quarter, Latvia pulled out a terrific comeback to make it an even 22 midway through the second quarter before taking a two-point lead to the break at 31-29. Latvia went on a frantic 10-0 run in the third quarter and extended their advantage to seven points. An upset seemed on course until Latvia melted down in the final quarter, unable to contain the sharp offense by Russia, who survived the thriller at 62-57.
Latvia forward Liene Jansone was the star of the night, scoring a so far tournament-high 24 points and grabbing five rebounds.
World No. 10 China vs. World No. 5 Spain 67-64
Tough defense enabled World No. 10 China to fight off World No. 5 Spain, the runner-ups at the 2007 European Championship, despite 18 turnovers.
China pressed Spain hard with a 9-0 pounder four minutes into play. Spain quickly responded with a 13-4 run before the hosts finished the first quarter 18-15. China continued to shut down the middle, limiting Spain to just nine points in the second quarter and taking a 13-point lead to the break at 37-24.
China managed to stay on top the rest of the game to clinch a hard-fought 67-64 victory. Thanks to effective defense and a higher shooting percentage from the field (41% compared to 36% of Spain), China stifled their opponents' perimeter shooting, making up for 18 turnovers.
World No. 16 New Zealand vs. World No. 21 Mali 76-72
New Zealand played hard to contain the reigning African champions Mali 76-72 en route to their first victory in the tournament.
The Tall Ferns had three players scoring in the double digits, but the Oceania runners-up still struggled to gain the upper hand as Mali, despite lacking international experience, geared up in high spirits to tie 64-64 with 4:13 left in the final quarter. And it was tight until reaching 74-72, when New Zealand's Angela Marino made the most of two free throws, ending the match 76-72.
Mali qualified for its first ever Olympic Games at the 2007 FIBA Africa Championships, beating Cote d'Ivoire and a normally dominant Angola in the knockout stages and upsetting hosts Senegal in the final.
