Croatia down Angola 75-56 in a crucial game – London Olympics Women Basketball Recap
The Croatian women basketball team secured their first victory of the London Olympics when they downed Angola 75-56 in a one sided game on Friday. The Croatians took control of the game early in the first period, and led at all four intervals in the game to cruise to a comfortable victory in the end.
Ana Lelas scored 23 points and 6 rebounds for Croatia, going 8 of 14 from the field including a 5 of 7 performance from three point range. Sandra Mandir also got into the scoring act for Croatia, finishing with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the night. Luisa Tomas led the Angolan scoring with 15 points and 8 rebounds, going 7 of 13 from the field.
The two sides were neck to neck in the opening minutes of action, as Angola matched Croatia in scoring and stayed close to them, not allowing them to run away with a huge lead. Astrida Vicente nailed a two point shot and tied the score at 11 with 4:50 left in the first period. But Croatia soon found their rhythm in the game, and went on a 9-0 run to open up a 20-11 lead within minutes. Angola did fight back but were left trailing 24-18 at the end of the first period.
Croatia scored the first 4 points of the 2nd period, extending their lead to 10. Angola replied soon, and a three point play by Vicente had them trailing by 6 points, within enough distance of the Croatians to cause them discomfort. Croatia then exploded with a 7-0 run that again stretched their lead to 41-29, their largest for the night till that point. Both teams went into the halftime break with Croatia holding a 41-32 advantage over the Angolans.
Croatia put the exclamation mark on the game in the third period, where they outscored Angola 18-11 to add to an already double digit lead and essentially bring an end to any chances the Angolans had of a comeback. Croatia scored the first 12 points of the period as they seemed to have found their shooting game. Angola, on the other hand, missed their first eight field goal attempts of the period, and were left facing a daunting 34-53 deficit with 4:50 left in the period. Two free throws by Mandir to finish the period gave Croatia a 59-43 lead.
With a comfortable double digit lead under their belt, the Croatians played the final period with caution and poise, and cruised to an easy 75-56 victory in the end.
Marija Vrsaljko scored 10 points and 8 rebounds for the Croatian side, going 6 of 8 from the foul line. Nadir Manuel scored 14 points and 4 rebounds for Angola, and Nassecela Mauricio added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists as the Angolans looked for their first victory of the competition. However, their failure to close quarters well and inconsistent shooting allowed Croatia to build a handsome lead.
Both teams had a mediocre shooting night but Angola were particularly cold from three point range, going 3 of 17 from the distance. Croatia scored 14 more free throw attempts than Angola and went 24 of 31 from the foul line. They also outrebounded the Angolans 51-33, giving them second shot opportunities and allowing them to cover for their meagre shooting. Croatia score a crucial victory and tie with Turkey in Group A with 5 points. U.S.A and China lead the group with 6 points each.
Tags: