The 2016 men's and women's Olympic basketball tournament continued Tuesday, with several of the top stars in the sport in action.
Scores
Recap
Turkey Beats Japan, 76-62
LaToya Sanders was unstoppable on Tuesday, scoring 36 points in Turkey's convincing 76-62 win over Japan.
The Japanese simply had no answer for Sanders, who also notched seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Turkey jumped out to a 24-9 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, as Isil Alben added 14 points and Nevriye Yilmaz 15 points in the rout. Four different players scored double-digit points for the Japanese, which will next take on Australia on Thursday. Turkey faces Belarus that same day.
Belarus Beats Brazil, 65-63
Led by Tatyana Troina's 18 points, Belarus knocked off Brazil on Tuesday, 65-63.
Yelena Leuchanka chipped in 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Lindsey Harding posted 12 points and six assists.
Damiris Dantas played valiantly in the loss, posting 23 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, while Clarissa dos Santos (17 points, 11 rebounds, four steals) was excellent as well. It wasn't enough to steal the win from Belarus, however.
Brazil looked as though they were in control early in the game, leading 28-16 after a quarter, but Belarus slowly chipped away at the lead. By halftime, the deficit was just five, and the game was even heading into the fourth quarter. Leuchanka's three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining would prove to be the game-winner, as Brazil couldn't score on two separate possessions down the stretch.
Belarus will next take on Turkey on Thursday, with Brazil facing France that same day.
Brazil Beats Spain, 66-65
Marquinhos had Brazil dancing on Tuesday.
The Brazilian's tip-in with just seconds on the clock was the deciding bucket in Brazil's 66-65 upset of Spain, the second loss in this tournament for the No. 2 ranked Spaniards.
Pau Gasol had a chance to give Spain a three-point lead from the foul line with 24 seconds remaining but missed both of his shots. That gave Brazil the chance to take the lead, and Marquinhos played the role of the hero, sneaking around the backside of the basket to tip home Marcelo Huertas' missed floater.
Spain still had six seconds to earn the win, but Sergio Llull missed a difficult runner down the right side, and Spain couldn't gather the rebound and get another shot off before the game ended. It wasn't the look the team probably wanted, per basketball writer Sam Vecenie:
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) August 9, 2016
Huertas (11 points, seven assists, four rebounds), Marquinhos (10 points, five rebounds) and Augusto Lima (nine points, 10 rebounds) led the way for Brazil, who stifled Spain with solid defense and a patient half-court approach. In total, 10 players scored for Brazil.
Gasol, meanwhile, led the Spaniards with a solid showing, scoring 13 points and adding 10 rebounds and four blocks. Llul (11 points) and Sergio Rodriguez (10 points, five assists) played well in support, though NBA stars such as Ricky Rubio (three points, no assists or steals) and Nikola Mirotic (six points, eight rebounds) had disappointing showings.
The Spaniards now have a heck of a battle on their hands to reach the knockout phase, with tough games against Argentina and Lithuania remaining, along with what should be a gimme against Nigeria. If Spain loses just one more game, it'll be in real danger of being eliminated from this tournament before the quarterfinals, which would be a shock, to say the least.
There is perhaps some reason to be optimistic for Spain, however, per Zach Harper of CBS Sports:
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) August 9, 2016
Brazil's chances of reaching the knockout phase grew considerably better with this victory, meanwhile. Croatia and Argentina still remain, but the Brazilians have proved they can hang with some of the top teams in the world.
Group B is wide-open. Spain isn't dead, but it is on life support. Brazil isn't safe, but it will be feeling confident after Tuesday's huge victory.
Australia Beats France, 89-71
Australia pulled away from France in the second quarter and withstood every French rally in the second half, winning in convincing fashion, 89-71.
Penny Taylor was superb for the Aussies, scoring 31 points and adding five rebounds, nine assists, three steals and a block.
George Washington head coach and former teammate Jennifer Rizzotti was impressed by Taylor's performance:
— Jennifer Rizzotti (@JenRizzotti) August 9, 2016
Liz Cambage (16 points, seven rebounds) and Marianna Tolo (14 points, four rebounds) had solid performances as well for Australia. Olivia Epoupa (15 points, seven rebounds, seven steals) led the way for France.
Australia led after a tight first quarter, 21-19, but it blew things wide-open in the second frame, going on a 25-10 run to open up a 17-point lead. France played the Australians tough again in the second half, but it couldn't chip away at Australia's significant lead.
The Australians simply had an answer every time it looked like France might mount a rally. Much of that came down to the clutch shooting of Taylor, who finished 10-of-13 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Simply put, Taylor was nearly perfect, and France didn't have an answer for her.
The win virtually assures Australia's place in the quarterfinals after three straight wins in Group A, while France is still in a strong position to advance with a 2-1 record, though the team will need to mentally recover quickly from Tuesday's blowout loss.
Australia next faces Japan on Thursday, while France takes on Brazil that same day.
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