Russia ease past the Dominican Republic to top Group C - FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
In the second game of the day 3 in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the Russians eased past Dominican Republic 84-69 in what turned out to be a lopsided game.
The Russians made a strong start to the game and were leading by 8-0 inside the first three minutes. Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford finally opened the scoring for the Dominicans with two consecutive layups. Anton Ponkrashov made
a two pointer for Russia on the next possession and an Andrei Kirilenko three point play later, the Russians were leading by 13-4.
What followed was an 8 point burst by the South Americans which made it a single point game. Russians however regained control over the proceedings and finished the first quarter with a 23-18 lead.
The lead was stretched to 7 points early in the second, but a 9-2 run by Dominican Republic tied the game at 27. The run was capped by a three point play from Al Horford, his free throw giving the Dominicans their first lead of
the game at 28-27.
The advantage remained intact for nearly a minute, 33-32, before the Russians pulled the trigger and closed the half with a 44-38 edge.
That was the beginning of the end for the Dominicans. They started the second half on two free throws to pull within 4, but a 13 point unanswered run blew them away.
The Russians led by 65-53 at the close of the third quarter and then a 7-2 spurt early in the fourth virtually sealed the deal. The teams played time after that and the game finally finished at 84-69.
The Russians had four players in double scoring figures with Andrei Kirilenko leading the way. The forward, more commonly known as the AK-47, nearly notched up a triple-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.
Vitaliy Fridzon also scored 16; Viktor Khryapa had 14 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds while Alexander Kaun finished the night with 10 points and 7 boards.
The Dominicans were expectedly led by 22 points and 9 rebounds by Al Horford while Jack Martinez had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
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