Troina: 'We are alive and ready for the fight'

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - How Belarus emerged out of nowhere to beat hosts Brazil and give themselves a chance of competing for a spot in the Quarter-Finals of the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament, only basketball gods know. 

After suffering two heartbreaking losses to Japan and France in their Group A campaign, the Belarusians put themselves in a deep hole by allowing Brazil to take an 18-point lead on Tuesday. But somehow they fought back and claimed a 65-63 triumph. 

In that game, Belarus' hero Tatyana Troina came off the bench, sunk a deep three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining to silence an almost sellout crowd at Deodoro Youth Arena. She hit 5-of-7 three-point attempts and finished with a team-high 18 points.

If you ever wondered how Belarus secured their first win in Rio to register a 1-2 record, ask Troina.

With Belarus' next challenge coming up on Thursday against Turkey, the 35-year-old talked to FIBA.com.

FIBA.com: How does it feel to get your first win?
Troina: It feels great, especially after losing those first two games. Technically we are still alive and we have good chances of qualifying for the playoffs. We wanted to finish third in our group, but right now, we just want to secure a place in the playoffs no matter what.

FIBA.com: Having lost to France in the final seconds, where did you find the energy and strength to play against - and beat - the home team the way you did?
Troina: It was very hard emotionally after we lost to France. It was hard to find that spark inside of you because when you lose a game like that, it kills you mentally. Everybody was in their own zone. I saw some of the girls not talking to each other while we were on the way to the game. Everybody was in their own world to keep the concentration. That situation got on us. At some point, we were 18 points down, and playing against the home team can be cruel. Against Australia, they were 18 down and all of a sudden they came back like a hurricane... the crowd is loud. The main thing we needed was to find our game. We were down 18 but we knew we could come out of the hole because that was our last chance. 

FIBA.com: You still have to play Turkey and Australia. After the win against Brazil, what is the mood in the locker room and how will you approach those two games?
Troina: Of course we need to win those games. I am experienced enough to face those challenges. We are alive and ready for the fight.

FIBA