Belarus dispatch Argentina, set up re-match with Korea for last Rio 2016 spot

NANTES (2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - Belarus trounced Argentina, 84-44 at the 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) on Saturday and as a result will compete for the last ticket on offer for the Rio 2016 Olympics by taking on Korea in Sunday's Fifth-Place Game. 

Tatsiana Likhtarovich led four Belarusians in double figures, while Agostina Burani was Argentina's only player to score 10 or more points, finishing with 11 points. 

Turning Point: Belarus had a comfortable 20-3 lead to end the first quarter. Argentina switched to a zone defense early in the second period and the strategy paid off for a while as Belarus struggled to shoot from long range. But it was in the paint that Argentina suffered the consequences of having a small line-up, as Belarus scored 42 of their 84 points inside.

Stats Don't Lie: Belarus' dominance near the basket was all the more evident with their 49-38 rebounding advantage. Argentina's poor ball movement, which resulted in just 6 assists, didn't do them any favours either. 

Game Hero: As well drawing six fouls, Likhatarovich set the tone for the Belarus to finish with a game-high 19 points. 

The Bottom Line: Fighting for their survival, Argentina knew they had to cope with Belarus' taller and more experienced line-up. Following a devastating 84-70 Quarter-Final defeat to China, Belarus proved too strong for an Argentina team that entered the game with a sense of having 'nothing to lose'.

FIBA