Men's Basketball / Finals -- 5th Place Game
BRA vs. GRE
Greece Victorious With Late Surge Over Brazil
Greece was able to pull away in the final 10 minutes to score a 91-72 victory over Brazil. Greece takes fifth place in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, while Brazil places sixth.
The two teams matched each other basket for basket through much of a very evenly played first half. With the score tied at 27-27 with 9:19 on the clock, Brazil tallied seven consecutive points to take a 34-27 advantage. Brazil widened its margin to eight points, but Greece posted an 8-0 to tie the score for the 11th time in the opening period. Again, the two teams traded a few baskets before Brazil closed out the half with a 4-0 run to take a 49-45 advantage at the break.
In the second half, the two teams again traded baskets until Greece tied the score at 56-56 with 14:57 remaining in the contest. The Greek squad then went on a 10-0 run to open its biggest lead with 11:05 on the clock. Greece was able to build on its lead the remainder of the way as guard Giorgos SIGALAS poured in 21 second-half points.
Greece was led by SIGALAS's 35 points on, while Brazil was led by Nikos ECONOMOU's 21 points. SIGALAS connected on 8-of-10, 3-point field goals in the contest. Oscar SCHMIDT, the "King" of Brazilian basketball, also tallied 21 points in what he says will be his final Olympic Games.
Final Score: GRE 91, BRA 72.
CRO vs. CHN
Croatia Earns Seventh Place With Victory Over China
Croatia, which was expected to contend for a medal in the 1996 Olympic Games, had to settle for seventh place after defeating the People's Republic of China 99-85. Featuring NBA stars Toni KUKOC and Dino RADJA, Croatia was thought of as a medal favorite before being upset by Brazil in the quarterfinals. With the loss, China takes eighth place in the tournament.
In the first half, Croatia opened the contest with an 11-4 run that ended on a dunk by KUKOC with 16:53 to play. Less than 2 minutes later, China's WANG Zhi-zhi cut the lead to 3 points, 13-10, on a jumper with 14:55 to go in the first half. Croatia's KUKOC then led his squad on a 26-13 run as he tallied 10 points during the spurt to give Croatia a 16-point advantage. The Croatian team built the lead to as many as 17 points, but China closed the half with an 8-1 run and trailed 49-39 at the break.
Croatia opened the second half with a quick 8-0 run to take a 57-39 advantage just 2 minutes into the half. Croatia built a 64-45 lead with 16:38 left on the clock, but could not hold the margin as China's HU Wei-dong caught fire from 3-point land. China outscored Croatia 23-7 over the next 6 minutes as HU Wei-dong netted four treys during the stretch. Croatia quickly returned the favor with a 9-2 run of its own that proved to be too much for the Chinese squad to overcome.
KUKOC led Croatia with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Reserve center Zan TABAK added 22 points and eight boards for the Croatians. China was led by 3-point marksman HU Wei-dong, who netted 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
Final Score: CRO 99, CHN 85.
BRA vs. UKR
Brazil Remains Undefeated, Earns Chance for Gold Medal
Brazil earned a spot in Sunday's gold medal game against the United States with an 81-60 victory over Ukraine in the semifinal round of the 1996 Olympic basketball tournament.
As the first half began, both teams traded baskets and the lead over the first 10 minutes. With Ukraine ahead 32-31, Brazil took the lead for good with a 9-0 run over a 2:23 span. The Brazilian squad went on to stretch the lead to 48-36 by the break.
In the second half, it was all Brazil as the lead continued to build. The inside play of Brazil's Alessandra OLIVEIRA kept the Ukraine squad's offense off balance in the second half with a more physical style of play. OLIVERA posted 10 of her 13 rebounds during the second half, and altered many Ukrainian shots with her presence. On the offensive end of the floor for Brazil in the second half, Hortencia Marcari OLIVA burned the nets for 13 of her 20 points to lead the scoring charge.
Maria Paula "Magic" SILVA led Brazil with 24 points and 6 assists and Janeth ARCAIN added 11 points and 6 rebounds. Ukraine was led by Yelena ZHIRKO's 15 points, while teammate Diana SADOVNIKOVA grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds.
Final Score: BRA 81, UKR 60.
USA vs. AUS
Now 59-0, United States has Sights On Gold
The United States scored a 93-71 victory over Australia on Friday in the semifinals of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games to advance to the women's gold medal basketball game. The United States will meet Brazil in the final after Brazil defeated Ukraine 81-60 in the other semifinal game. The victory for the United States is its seventh straight in the Olympic Games and 59th consecutive over the past nine months.
For 10:20 of the game, it appeared that Australia had learned something from its 96-79 loss to the USA in the preliminary round. The score was tied at 20-20 as Australia came out hitting more than 60 percent of its shot from the floor in the first 10 minutes.
But with 10:20 on the clock, the United States went on a 20-3 run that put the game well out of the Australian's reach. Team USA's defense tightened during this run and put a clamp on Australia's shooters. The high shooting percentage for Australia plummeted in the final 10 minutes of the half, falling to 38 percent by the break. Australia could pull no closer than 17 points in the second half.
Center Lisa LESLIE led the United States with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while teammate Katrina McCLAIN tallied 18 points and 15 boards. Point guard Michele TIMMS led Australia with 27 points.
Final Score:
KOR vs. ANG
Angola Downs Korea 99-61 for 11th Place in 1996 Olympic Games
Angola's David DIAZ netted 27 points to lead his squad to a 99-61 victory over Korea. With the victory in the classification round, Angola places 11th in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Korea takes 12th place with the loss.
The game was never in question as Angola took the lead just minutes into the game and cruised to the easy win. One of the keys to the victory for Angola was a 41-20 rebounding margin. In addition to DIAZ's 27 points, he also grabbed 11 rebounds. Antonio CARVALHO added 18 points for Angola. Korea was led by KANG Dong-Hee with 17 points and 6 assists.
Final Score: ANG 99, KOR 61.
ARG vs. PUR
Argentina Uses Second Half Run to Defeat Puerto Rico 87-77
An 11-0 run midway through the second half led Argentina to an 87-77 victory over Puerto Rico in the classification round of the 1996 Olympic Games. Argentina ended the Olympic Games with a ninth place finish, while Puerto Rico takes 10th place.
With Puerto Rico holding a 59-58 lead with 12:43 remaining in the game, Argentina's 11-0 run gave it a 10-point advantage with 7:59 on the clock. Puerto Rico could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way as Argentina cruised to the win.
Juan ESPIL and Diego OSELLA led five Argentina players in double-figures with 17 points each. Marcelo MILANESIO also posted 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for Argentina. Puerto Rico was led by Jose Piculin ORTIZ's 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Final Score: ARG 87, PUR 77.
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