(1 August 1996; Day 13)
The dreams of 12 countries and 144 athletes have been cut to just four teams and their 48 players. The semifinals of the women's basketball competition in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games are set to begin Friday afternoon in the Georgia Dome. Among the teams are Brazil, the lone team remaining out of Group A, the United States, Ukraine and Australia, the surprise team of these Olympic Games.
Brazil will face Ukraine in the first semifinal contest in what will definitely be a meeting of championship caliber squads -- Brazil captured the 1994 World Championship and Ukraine is the reigning European Champion.
The Brazilians will enter this game with a 6-0 record in the 1996 Olympic Games, including five wins by more than 10 points. The victories are even more impressive because superstar guard Hortencia OLIVA missed almost three complete games with an injured ankle. Her return to the court helped Brazil reach this point as OLIVA scored 17 points in her squad's 101-69 quarterfinal win over Cuba.
In OLIVA's absence, several players stepped forward to shine and lead Brazil through the preliminary rounds. Three Brazilians rank among the top eight scorers in the women's competition -- Janeth ARCAIN, Marta De Soosa SOBRAL and Maria Paula SILVA -- to lead the fast-paced and high-scoring offensive attack. ARCAIN averages 17.8 points per game, SOBRAL pours in 17.3 points and grabs 8.3 boards per game, and point guard SILVA averages 16.5 points and 5.2 assists.
In sharp contrast to the fast pace of Brazil's offense, Ukraine will look to set up the halfcourt offense and get the ball inside to 6'4" (1.9 m) center Lyudmila NAZARENKO. Ukraine, led by forward Marina TKACHENKO's 16.5 points, will carry a 4-2 record into the contest after placing second to the United States in Group B's preliminary round. NAZARENKO tallies 13.3 points and grabs 7.8 rebounds per game, while power forward Yelena ZHIRKO adds inside power and contributes 13.5 points per outing.
With the inside power of these two squads, look for a battle in the paint to be the key factor to who advances to the gold medal game. Brazil's SOBRAL and Alessandra OLIVEIRA will be facing Ukraine's dynamic inside duo of NAZARENKO and ZHIRKO.
"They will be a very strong team," NAZARENKO said. "It will be a fast game. We must rebound well and keep them from running too much."
In Friday's nightcap, the highly favored U.S. squad will face an Australian team that has posted upset after upset during these Olympic Games.
Australia is 4-2 entering this game and has proven that it will continue to fight and not give up under any circumstances. In the preliminary round, Australia dropped a 96-79 decision to the United States, but played very well. In fact, until a late second-half surge, Australia played within five points much of the contest. The factor that proved fatal to Australia in the earlier meeting was a 47-28 rebounding advantage for team USA.
Australia will look for point guard Michele TIMMS to duplicate the 26-point effort that she posted against the United States earlier. Also chipping in on the offensive end of the court are forwards Shelly SANDIE and Trisha FALLEN, each averaging in the double figures.
"The USA is a great offensive basketball team," said center Rachael SPORN (AUS). "We have to keep them off of the boards offensively. They also have great 3-point shooters, so we have to get a hand in their faces. We need to contain them offensively and stop their fast break."
Stopping the potent Unites States' offense has been easier said than done in the 1996 Olympic Games as Team USA is averaging 102.5 points per game and blistering the nets for a 56 percent field goal percentage. The American scoring machine is led by five players averaging double figures and seven players netting more than eight points each time out. Center Lisa LESLIE leads the United States with 17.5 points per game and poured in a U.S. women's Olympic Games record of 35 points against Japan in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Seed: Brazil
Brazil made things look rather easy in the preliminary round by recording a 5-0 record and winning its games by a margin of 12.8 points per game. Brazil is led by three players that rank among the top-10 scorers in this Olympic Games' field. Leading the way for the Brazilians is small forward ARCAIN, who ranks fifth with 17.6 points per game. Center SOBRAL ranks sixth in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. Point guard SILVA ranks ninth in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game.
Group B
No. 1 Seed: United States
While all eyes of the media in the United States were on the men's basketball team, the women's "Dream Team" from the United States has been impressing all in attendance. After assembling 12 of the finest women's basketball players in the world last year, Team USA has posted a 57-0 record, including a 5-0 mark in the 1996 Olympic Games' preliminary round. Center LESLIE leads a very balanced attack with 14.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. The balanced attack has four members of the U.S. squad averaging more than 12.8 points per game and the team blistering the nets for a 101.5-points per game average. The defense has been equally impressive by allowing just 67.8 points per contest, and was never more evident than in the final preliminary round game when the United States allowed Korea just 14 points in the second half of a 105-64 victory.
No. 2 Seed: Ukraine
The Ukraine posted a 3-2 record in the preliminary round and definitely played better as the round progressed. After an upset loss to Korea, which did not qualify for the medal round, the Ukraine defeated Australia and Cuba to earn the second seed in Group B. TKACHENKO leads the Ukraine in scoring, posting an 18.0-point per game average. Center NAZARENKO ranks fourth in the 1996 Olympic Games in rebounding, averaging 8.6 per outing.
No. 3 Seed: Australia
Australia also posted a 3-2 record in the preliminary round to tie the Ukraine for the No. 2 seed, but lost the spot due to a 54-48 loss to the Ukraine. The Australians proved that they are a force which must be met by giving the United States its toughest game of the opening round. Australia battled close for much of the game before losing 96-79. Guards TIMMS and SANDIE lead Australia from the backcourt. TIMMS ranks eighth in scoring with 16.2 points per game, while SANDIE chips in 13.0 points per game. Center SPORN, who began the 1996 Olympic Games as a reserve, earned a starting role with her aggressive defense on opponents' taller players in the pivot. At 6'1" (1.83), SPORN ranks third in rebounding, averaging 9.0 boards per game.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Wayne White.
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| The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July). |