Australia better Russia 83-74 to clinch Bronze Medal at London Olympics –Women Basketball Recap
The Australian women basketball team ended their 2012 Olympics campaign with a victory over Russia to clinch the bronze medal.
This was the fifth time in as many competitions that Australia clinched a podium finish. The Aussies defeated Russia 83-74 on their way to victory in the bronze medal game, denying the Russians their third consecutive bronze medal
at the Olympics. The Australian side entered the competitions aiming for Gold, and were well on their way towards their objective until a determined U.S women’s side halted their march in the semis.
Lauren Jackson, who became the leading scorer in women Olympic history earlier in the competition, continued with her impressive form and finished with a game-high 25 and 11 rebounds, going 7 of 12 from the field. Kristi Harrower
added 21 points for the night, going 7 of 10 from the floor and 6 of 9 from the foul line.
Suzy Batkovic also added 17 points and 8 rebounds on a night when the Australian offense was right on the money.
Becky Hammon paced the Russians in scoring, finishing with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Anna Petrakova scored 10 points and 3 rebounds for Russia, but was 2 of 8 from the floor. Evgeniya Belyakova scored 10 points and
5 rebounds, also going 2 of 8 from the field.
The first quarter was filled with excitement, as both teams attempted to out-do each other. The quarter witnessed 5 lead exchanges and the largest lead by any team was by a mere 4 points.
Batkovic gave the Aussies a 10-8 lead with a two point shot from inside the paint. Marina Kuzina answered for the Russians by scoring 4 straight points, giving them a 12-10 edge with 3:17 left in the period. The two sides continued
to battle for the lead and at the end of the period, Australia held a meagre 17-16 lead.
The Aussies started to take control of the game in the second period, outscoring the Russians 21-14 in that quarter. Harrower nailed a three pointer in the opening minutes to give Australia a 26-20 lead, and they held on for the
rest of the period.
A two point shot by Batkovic put Australia ahead by 36-28, and Russia were able to score only 2 points in the final four minutes and forty five seconds of the period, that too coming in the final seconds to cut the Aussie lead
to 38-30. The Russians missed 7 field goal attempts and 2 free throws during their scoring drought, as the Aussies solidified their position in the game.
Russia made an initial run to cut into the Aussie lead at the opening of the third period, scoring five straight points, but Australia embarked on a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 48-35.
The Aussies led 57-43 as they entered the final period. The Russians scored 31 points in the final quarter as they attempted to steal one away from right under the Aussie noses, but were unable to close the game. Back to back three
pointers by Petrakova had the Aussie lead down to 74-67 with 2:32 left in the game, and two free throws by her later gave the Russians a chance at the game when they cut the lead to 76-71.
However, Australia replied with a 7-1 run as they calmly nailed their free throws in the final minutes of the game to eventually take an 83-74 victory.
Australia shot 54.9% for the night compared to 38.6% for Russia. They had a 41-34 advantage in rebounds but committed 7 more turnovers than the Russian side at 17.
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