May 22, 2013
Olympic Qualifying Tournament: Day 3 – July 4, 2012
Olympic Qualifying logoThe third day at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, produced all the desired results for the four European teams as Greece and Russia both won and were joined by Lithuania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as the four group winners. Accordingly, those four will avoid each other in the do-or-die quarterfinal games on Friday. The quarterfinals matchups are Russia vs. Angola; Greece vs. Nigeria; FYROM vs. Dominican Republic; and Lithuania vs. Puerto Rico. The winners of the quarterfinals will all be just one more victory away from a ticket to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Group D: New Zealand 68-64 Angola
The Tall Blacks managed to beat Angola, but their big loss to FYROM the day before was too much to overcome. All three teams finished with 1-1 records, but FYROM won the group on point difference, while Angola was second. The Kiwis rode the hot hands of Leon Henry and Rob Loe to an 18-point second-quarter lead and led 40-26 at the break – a result that would have lifted New Zealand into second place. However Eduardo Mingas scored 6 in a 0-8 run to open the third quarter and Angola held tight after that. Tai Webster led New Zealand with 21 points and Henry finished with 15. Mingas tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds in a defeat that was all victory for quarterfinals-bound Angola.

Group C: Dominican Republic 69-84 Russia
Vitaly Fridzon - Russia (Photo: FIBA) Russia outscored Dominican Republic in each of the four quarters to win 69-84 and clinch first place in Group C. After both teams previously beat South Korea and ensured quarterfinals berths, this game was about winning the group. The Russians started strong with the game’s first 8 points, but the Dominicans came back to tie the game and take the lead, 28-27, on an Al Horford three-point play midway through the second quarter. However Euroleague MVP Andrei Kirilenko and Vitaly Fridzon of BC Khimki combined for all the points in a 1-10 run that helped Russia take a 38-44 halftime lead and then CSKA center Sasha Kaun added 6 points in a 0-13 charge in the third quarter that made it 40-57 and paved the way to a Russia win. Kirilenko finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, Fridzon also scored 16 and CSKA forward Viktor Khryapa added 14 points and 6 assists for the winners. Horford led the Dominican team with 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Group B: Lithuania 80-86 Nigeria
Nigeria topped Lithuania 80-86 in an unpopular result with the locals, as it knocked Venezuela out of Olympic contention. All three teams in Group B finished with 1-1 records, so the standings were determined by point difference. Despite the loss, Lithuania’s big win over Venezuela on Tuesday kept the European side first and dropped the South American side to third. The game was even for much of the night with a Tony Skinn triple giving Nigeria a 38-41 halftime lead. Derrick Obasohan got hot to make it 40-51 early in the third, but Lithuania opened the fourth quarter with 9 straight points to get within 66-67. However Nigeria finished strong and a Skinn three with 36 seconds to go essentially iced the win and Nigeria’s place in the next round. Obasohan finished with 20 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, while Al-Farouq Aminu added 16 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Former Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner Linas Kleiza led Lithuania with 22 points and four-time Euroleague champ Sarunas Jasikevicius added 14.

Group A: Puerto Rico 84-98 Greece
Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four MVP Vassilis Spanoulis dazzled with 27 points to lead Greece to an 84-98 victory over Puerto Rico. Both sides had previously clinched quarterfinals spots by beating Jordan and this game was for first place. The Greeks led 47-49 after a high-scoring first half, but managed to limit Puerto Rico in the second half. Final Four hero Georgios Printezis scored twice in a 2-10 run to finish the third quarter at 62-70 for Greece. Renaldo Balkman brought his team back within 73-76, but Greece had one more run left and the Olympiacos trio of Spanoulis, Kostas Papanikolaou and Printezis took care of business do ensure the win. Printezis and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan center Ioannis Bourousis added 16 points apiece for the winners. Peter Ramos led Puerto Rico with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Euroleague.net
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