Russians orchestrate a 4th quarter turnaround to steal a 58-53 win over Canada – Olympic Women Basketball Recap
The Russian Women Basketball team kick started their 2012 Olympic campaign with a close 58-53 victory over Canada.
The Russians dominated the Canadian side in the final quarter on the first day of competition here on Saturday, outscoring them 21-10 and coming from behind to take the victory. It was a team effort from the Russians, with Becky Hammon leading the scoring with 14 points, going 6 of 18 from the field.
Kimberley Smith put up a valiant effort for the Canadian side, going 5 of 7 from the distance to score a game high 20 points. But her efforts were not enough to guarantee a win for the team.
The Russians controlled the proceedings in the opening minutes of the game, taking an early 10-5 lead as the Canadian team tried to get their game going. The Canadians quickly caught up, tying the game at 12 points apiece with 1:51 left in the first period. Two successful free throws by Miranda Ayim in the final minute of the first period gave Canada a 17-15 edge to close the quarter.
Both teams failed to put any points on the board for the first two minutes of the 2nd quarter, with Irina Osipova scoring a free throw for the Russian side at the 8:08 mark to score the first point of the quarter. The Canadians then made up for their initial lapse in concentration with a 13-2 run that put them ahead of the Russians by 12 points. The Russians scored 6 quick points to trail 30-24 at halftime.
Canada maintained their lead throughout the third period, stretching it back to 10 points with a two point shot by Shona Thorburn. The Russians closed the third period with 4 quick points to cut the deficit to 43-37, and within fighting chance of regaining the lead. A crucial three pointer by Courtnay Pilypaitis with 6:33 remaining in the game put the Canadians back up 50-40.
At that point, it seemed like the Canadians would be able to ride on their offensive momentum throughout the rest of the period and take a comfortable victory. But the Russians had other plans in mind. They went on a 10-0 run through two three point shots and then Hammon scored 6 straight points to put the Russians up 56-51 in an extraordinary turn of events.
The Canadians missed 6 straight shots in the course of the Russian onslaught, handing over the lead they had built up through the course of the game. Two successful free throws by Anna Petrakova in the final seconds of the game ensured that the Russians held on for a 58-53 victory.
The Russians shot a poor 3 of 18 from the distance where as the Canadians were 8 of 19 from the same range. However, the Russians had a 44-33 rebounding advantage and stepped up their game in the final period to steal the victory. They now sit atop of group B after close of play on Day 1.
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