Men's Basketball Preliminaries/Group B
BRA vs. KOR
Brazil Defeats Korea, Earns Spot in Medal Round
With Brazil's 127-97 victory over Korea, it earned the fourth and final spot out of Group B to advance to the medal round. In the first round of medal competition, Brazil will meet the United States, the winner of Group A.
Korea, which was trying to win its first game in the 1996 Olympic Games, fell behind early as Brazil ran out to a 21-9 advantage. Brazil, which is the highest scoring team in these Olympic Games, continued to pour in the points as it burned the nets en route to a 66-49 halftime lead.
International superstar Oscar SCHMIDT (BRA), playing in his fifth and final Olympic Games, netted a game-high 25 points in only 22 minutes of play. Korea was led by KANG Dong-HEE and HYUN Joo-Yeop, who scored 24 and 23 points, respectively.
Final Score: BRA 127, KOR 97.
ARG vs. ANG
Argentina's Victory Over Angola Gives Twist to the Medal Round
Argentina was in a must-win situation against Angola to have the opportunity to advance to the medal round as the fourth seed coming out of Group A. The Argentineans responded with a 66-62 win. With the victory, Argentina tied China for the fourth spot with a 2-3 record. The final decision will be made Monday, but Argentina has a huge advantage in the point differential category which may be used to break the tie.
Angola led the entire game until Argentina overtook the lead on a dunk by Fabricio OBERTO with 7:49 remaining in the game. Angola came back to tie the contest at 54-54 with 7:46 remaining, before Argentina went on a 6-0 run that gave it the lead for good. Juan ESPIL led Argentina with 21 points, while David DIAS posted 17 points for Angola.
Final Score: ARG 66, ANG 62.
YUG vs. PUR
Yugoslavia Ends Preliminary Round Unbeaten With Win Over Puerto Rico
Yugoslavia defeated Puerto Rico 97-86 on Sunday to place first in Group B with a 5-0 record and advance to the medal round. The game also gave Puerto Rico a 1-3 record in Group B and leaves only a slim chance for it to advance to the medal round. The only way Puerto Rico can advance is with a loss by Brazil to Korea.
Yugoslavia jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first half before Puerto Rico battled back to take the lead at 15-13 with 11:35 remaining in the opening period. A 12-3 run by Yugoslavia over the next three minutes set the tone for the remainder of the half as the Yugoslavians moved out to a 45-34 advantage at the break.
Yugoslavia opened the second half with a 9-1 spurt and went on to build a lead that reached as many as 20 points at 64-44. Puerto Rico came storming back with a 20-2 run over the next 4:08 to pull to within two points at 66-64 with 8:08 left to play. A 16-0 run by Yugoslavia over the next three minutes sealed the victory as Puerto Rico victim to two critical technical fouls.
Predrad DANILOVIC and Aleksandr DJORDEVIC led Yugoslavia with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Vlade DIVAC (YUG) added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jose Piculin ORTIZ, the second leading scorer in the 1996 Olympic Games, scored 20 points for Puerto Rico before fouling out.
Final Score: YUG 97, PUR 86.
CRO vs. USA
United States Prepares For Run at Gold With Victory Over Croatia
The United States men's basketball team completed play in the preliminary round with a 102-71 victory over Croatia. To run its group A record to 5-0 Croatia also moves into the medal round with a 3-2 record.
The game was never in doubt as the United States jumped out to a 21-8 lead in the first six minutes of play and never looked back. Croatia did pull to within 10 points twice in the first half before the United States pulled out to a 57-38 lead at halftime. Team USA's defense forced 21 turnovers by Croatia to lead to many fast-break opportunities.
Mitch RICHMOND led the United States with 16 points, while Charles BARKLEY added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Croatia was led by Zan TABAK's 19 points and 7 rebounds.
Final Score: USA 102, CRO 71.
AUS vs. GRE
Australia Runs Away From Greece 103-62
Using a balanced and fast-paced scoring attack, Australia ran past Greece 103-62 in the final game of Group B play for both teams. Greece jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a lay-up by Nikos ECONOMOU just 25 seconds into the game. Unfortunately for Greece, that was the game's only bright spot. The Australians then went on a 30-8 run to take a 20-point lead with 10:19 remaining in the first half. Australia continued to build its lead through the half and led 52-30 at the break. Australia's backcourt duo of Andrew GAZE and Shane HEAL again led it to victory, scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively. ECONOMOU was Greece's lone bright spot, scoring 22 points.
Final Score: AUS 103, GRE 62
CHN vs. LTU
Lithuania Scores Often in Destruction of China
Eight players scored in double-figures as Lithuania scored early and very often in a 116-55 defeat of China. China led for 59 seconds of the game before the flood gates opened on the Lithuanian side of the scoreboard. At one point in the first half, Lithuania put on a scoring and defensive exhibition en route to a 25-5 run. During this eight-minute stretch, Lithuania forced 5 turnovers by China. For the game, China had 17 turnovers, got out-rebounded 43-19 and shot just 36 percent from the field. All of these numbers equal great defense by Lithuania. To point out the strength of the Lithuanian offense, check out the numbers: 62 percent shooting from the field, 67 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point arc, 27 assists and only 7 turnovers. Saulius STOMBERGAS led Lithuania with 19 points coming off the bench. Also in double-digits for Lithuania were Rimas KURTINAITIS (17), Darius LUKMINAS (15), Gintaras EINIKIS (14), Arvydas SABONIS (13), Arturas KARNISOVAS (12), Sarunas MARCIULIONIS (10) and Mindaugas ZUKAUSKAS (10). WANG Zhi-zhi led China with 18 points and 5 rebounds.
Final Score: LTU 116, CHN 55
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.
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