Olympic Qualifying Tournament Day 2 June 14th

June 14, 2016

Group A:

The hosts knew that a win to close out Tuesday would be enough to advance.  New Zealand refused to back down as they played their first game, but France controlled the second half to win 70-52 and advance as group winners.  Naturalized player Isabelle Yacoubou was effective in limited minutes to lead the way.  In the most straightforward Wednesday scenario of all the groups, the winner of the game between the Tall Ferns and Cuba will join the home team in the next round.

France vs. New Zealand 70-52 FRA Yacoubou 19/11r Dumerc 13/6r/8a Michel 13 Miyem 10/7r Epoupa 5 Ayayi 4 Amant 3 Johannes 2 Gruda 1 Skrela 0 Ciak 0 Kamba 0 NZL Edmondson 10/6r Paalvast 7 Purcell 6 Cocks 6 Davidson 6 Stockill 6 Beck 5 Harmon 4 Rooney 2 Hunter 0 Wallbutton 0 Franklin 0

Group B:

Turkey made their debut in the third game of the day and played the suffocating style that they are known for in a 66-38 win over Argentina.  Having a WNBA level naturalized player helped as LaToya Sanders led the way in the win.  Turkey will almost certainly advance now, but they face Cameroon on Wednesday with a win leaving them in the top spot and helping Argentina advance too.

Argentina vs. Turkey 38-66 ARG Vega 8/9r Thomas 7 Rosset 5 Burani 4 Gonzalez 4 Pavon 3 Cabrera 2 Santana 2 Fiorotto 2 Llorente 1 Boquete 0 Gretter 0 TUR Sanders 18/15r Kimyacioglu 11 Caglar 8 Vardarli Demirmen 7/10a Alben 6/7r Senyurek 6 Yilmaz 6 Cakir 4 Canitez 0 Ivegin Uner 0 Cora 0 Demirok DNP

Group C:

The first game of the day was a thriller as South Korea started their tournament well.  Nigeria fought back and completed the comeback late as ex-Savannah State player Ezinne Kalu knocked down the game-winning three-pointer for a 70-69 final.  Kang A-Jeong caught fire for the Koreans, but it was not enough as they will need a win over Belarus on Wednesday to advance.  Nigeria will be rooting for Belarus as tiebreakers would likely be unfavorable to them.

Nigeria vs. South Korea 70-69 NGR Ekworomadu 14 Elonu 13/6r Kalu 11 Ogoke 10 Sanni 6/10r Madu 4/6r Amukamara 4 Udeaja 4 Ibiam 2 Ugoka 2 Ogunjimi 0 Atosu DNP KOR Kang AJ 22 Kim 17 Kang LS 11 Lee SA 8/8a Yang 7/6r Park JS 4/16r Kwak 0 Lim 0 Park HJ 0 Go AR DNP Lee EH DNP Bae HY DNP

Group D:

Spain played their first game of the tournament in the second timeslot, rolling past China 77-43.  Alba Torrens was their main creative force again as WNBA fans continue to wonder about her possible arrival years after she was drafted.  Spain will almost certainly advance now, but a win over Venezuela will also ensure that China joins them in the next round.

China vs. Spain 43-77 CHN Shao 9 Sun MR 8/6r Chen XJ 7 Huang HP 6 Chen N 6 Sun MX 2 Wu 2 Gao 2 Zhao 1 Lu 0 Huang SJ 0 Li DNP ESP Torrens 22 Lyttle 12/13r Xargay 12/7r Nicholls 9/11r Cruz 9 Dominguez 5 Palau 3/8a Gil 3 Rodriguez 2 Pascua 0 Quevedo 0 Romero DNP