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Olympic Basketball Recaps - 24 July (Day 5)

Men's Basketball Preliminaries / Group B

GRE vs. PUR

Puerto Rico's Second Half Surge Fall Short.

Greece, which had an 18-point lead at halftime, withstood a furious second half comeback by Puerto Rica to record a 80-69 victory. Puerto Rico, down by as many as 26 (59-33) in the second half, made a run of 35-19 to pull within 4 points with 2:02 remaining in the game. Unfortunately for Puerto Rico, it could pull no closer as Greece tallied eight of the games final nine points. The lead Greece built during the first half proved to be the major factor as it appeared they would walk away with an easy victory. Greece posted its largest lead in the opening period of 18 points (51-33) on a basket by Fragiskos ALVERTIS (GRE) at the buzzer. Nikos ECONOMOU led Greece with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Puerto Rico's Jerome MINCY led all scorers with 20 points. Final Score: GRE 80, PUR 69.


Men's Basketball Preliminaries / Group A

LTU vs. USA

United States Remains Unbeaten With 104-82 Win Over Lithuania.

As if playing a team of 12 of the greatest basketball players in the world is not bad enough, Lithuania had to do just that Wednesday night without point guard Sarunas MARCIULIONIS (injured right knee).While Lithuania played hard and stayed close for much of the game, the talented squad from the United States pulled away for a 104-82 victory. In the first half, the United States built a nine point lead at 32-23 on a free throw by John STOCKTON with 7:51 remaining. Lithuania then went on a 17-8 run to tie the game at 40-40 with 3:04 remaining in the half. The Americans then closed out the half with a 10-2 run to net the half-time score of 50-42. In the second half, Team USA picked up where they left off and scored the first six points of the half. From there on, the United States continued to pour in the points and build the lead to its final margin. Charles BARKLEY led the United States with 16 points, while Reggie MILLER and Karl MALONE added 14 points each for the United States. Gintaras EINIKIS led Lithuania with 21 points. Darius LUKMINAS (LTU) and Arturas KARNISOVAS (LTU) added 15 and 13 points, respectively, for Lithuania. Final Score: USA 104, LTU 82.


Men's Basketball Preliminaries / Group B

AUS vs. BRA

Australia Outlasts Brazil with Double-Overtime Win:

Australia's Shane HEAL tallied 11 points in the second overtime session to lead his squad to a 109-101 victory over Brazil in Group B play at the 1996 Olympic Games. HEAL opened the second extra period with a 3-point bucket, a free throw and another trifecta to put Australia ahead for good. In the first overtime period, Brazil's Wilson Fernando MINUCI drove for a lay-up at the buzzer to tie the game at 92-92 and force the second extra session. In the first half the Brazilians led most of the way and built leads as high as 15 points. Australia, led by HEAL and Andrew GAZE, fought back and eventually took the lead at 66-65 with 10:03 remaining in regulation. The Australians led the rest of regulation until Aristides Josuel DOS SANTOS (BRA) connected on two free throws in the final minute to send the game into overtime. HEAL (AUS) led all scorers with 35 points, while GAZE added 28 for the victors. International superstar Oscar SCHMIDT (BRA) was held to his lowest point total of the 1996 Olympic Games with 24 points. Rogerio KLAFKE scored 21 points and DOS SANTOS added 20 for Brazil. Final Score: AUS 109, BRA 101.


Men's Basketball Preliminaries / Group A

CRO vs. ANG

Croatia Finally Finds Chemistry in Final 16 Minutes for Victory Over Angola.:

It took the favored Croatians a while to get their scoring into high gear, but when the scoring came for Croatia, it came fast and often. Croatia scored 43 points in the final 16 minutes of the contest after scoring only 28 points in the game's first 24 minutes. The result was a 71-48 win over the hard-playing Angolans. Angola, which has gained much respect for its determination despite the team's three losses, trailed 26-23 at halftime. Angola then began the second period with a 6-2 run to take a 29-28 lead. However, it was all Croatia from that point as their defense strengthened and the dunks began. Croatia's defense held Angola to 29 per cent shooting and forced 15 turnovers. National Basketball Association (NBA) stars Dino RADJA (20 points) and Toni KUKOC (16 points) led Croatia to the victory. Antonio CARVALHO and David DIAS led Angola with 10 points each. Final Score: CRO 71, KOR 48.


Men's Basketball Preliminaries / Group A

CHN vs. ARG

China prepares for Group A's best with win over Argentina.

With both China and Argentina entering the game with a 1-1 record in Group A competition, the meeting between the two teams was a must win for both squad's. Needing the victory tokeep alive its hopes advance to the medal round, China came out on top by a final score of 87-77. The victory was very important to the Chinese due to their next two games against Group A leaders United States and Lithuania.

In the first half, the game remained close with the squads trading baskets and the lead. Ahead 28-27 with 8:05 remaining in the first period, China went on a 13-4 run to open a double-digit lead. China went on to post a 51-38 half-time advantage. Argentina refused to give up and opened the second half with an 18-5 run to tie the game 56-56 with 11:53 left to play in regulation. But, the Argentines were unable to take the lead as China pushed out to a 73-64 lead with a 16-6 run over the next six minutes. Argentina could close the gap to no fewer than six points the rest of the way as China cruised to their second victory in the 1996 Olympic Games. ZHENG Wu and HU Wei-dong paced China with 22 points each, while Juan ESPIL led Argentina with a game-high 25 points. Final Score: CHN 87, ARG 77.


This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.


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Olympic Factoid
Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.