May 24, 2013
Olympic Qualifying Tournament: Day 2 – July 3, 2012
Olympic Qualifying logoIt was a banner day for the European squads on the second day at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) won to reach the quarterfinals, while Russia and Greece also advanced without even playing. Moreover, Lithuanian downed host Venezuela to edge closer to the knockout stage too. All-Euroleague point guard Bo McCalebb was unstoppable for FYROM as it shredded New Zealand in Group D. FYROM can finish either first or second depending upon the result of Wednesday’s Angola vs. New Zealand clash, which the latter must win to advance. In Group A, Puerto Rico dominated Jordan, which allowed Greece to waltz into the quarter. Greece faces Puerto Rico Wednesday for first place. Likewise the Dominican Republic topped South Korea in Group C to eliminate the Asian side and send Russia into the next stage. Russia and the Dominican Republic meet Wednesday to determine the top spot. The only group without any qualifiers yet is Group B, where Lithuania is the favorite after beating Venezuela 82-100. Lithuania meets Nigeria on Wednesday with all three teams’ chances still alive.

Group C: South Korea 85-95 Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic finished strong to record an 85-95 victory that put it in the next round. Korea rallied for a 77-76 lead on a Sunhyung Kim basket with 5:24 left in the game, however Al Horford responded with the next two baskets and went on to add another in a 3-13 Dominican run and his team never looked back. Horford paved the way with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Yack Martinez dominated the paint with 16 points and 25 rebounds to lead the winners. Martinez alone had almost as many rebounds as the entire Korean team (27). Eric Sandrin led Korea with 21 points and 6 rebounds.

Group D: FYROM 84-62 New Zealand
Bo McCalebb - FYROM (Photo FIBA) FYROM bounced back from a disappointing opening loss by pounding New Zealand 84-62. FYROM raced out to a 9-0 lead and improved it to 14-2 to take total control early. The lead grew to 26-8 before the end of the first quarter and FYROM sat on a 44-31 lead at the break. The Tall Blacks stayed in touch with FYROM in the third quarter and a Rob Loe triple to open the fourth made it 60-51, however Bo McCalebb scored half the points in a 12-0 run and FYROM never looked back. All-Euroleague point guard McCalebb of Montepaschi Siena starred with 23 points and 11 assists to lead the winners, while Turkish Airlines Euroleague champ Pero Antic of Olympiacos added 17 points and 16 rebounds and Todor Gecevsko scored 16. Alex Pledger led New Zealsn with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Group A: Jordan 52-93 Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico knocked Jordan out of the competition with a resounding 52-93 victory. The Puerto Ricans limited their opponents to 11, 11 and 10 points in the first three quarters while piling on the offense themselves to stake out a dominating lead. It was 22-54 at halftime and Puerto Rico also outscored Jordan in the third and fourth quarters to clinch the win. Peter Ramos led the winners with 20 points and 9 rebounds, Ricky Sanchez added 12 points and Alba Berlin forward Nathan Peavy scored 11 among five Puerto Rico scorers in double figures. Sam Daghles led Jordan with 17 points.

Group B: Venezuela 82-100 Lithuania
Lithuania impressed with an 82-100 victory over Venezuela in front of a Spartan crowd. The game was tight through a quarter and a half and a pair of free throws by former Montepaschi forward Hector Romero brought the hosts within 34-35. However Lithuania went on a 2-14 tear to take a 13-point lead into the break. Former CSKA forward Oscar Torres kept Venezuela in the picture at 50-58, but the lead was soon back at double figures and swelled to 64-80 through three quarters as Lithuania marked off the win. Former Alphonso Ford Trophy winner Linas Kleiza paced Lithuania with 28 points, Zalgiris guard Mantas Kalnietis tallied 13 points and 8 assists and Marty Pocius of Real Madrid netted 12 to lead the winners. Greivis Vasquez scored 24 for Venezuela.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Euroleague.net
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