OLYW - France and Russia thwart comebacks, Canada overcome hosts

LONDON (Olympics) - In Group B, Russia made it two wins from two with victory over Brazil, Canada dampened British hopes and Australia suffered overtime defeat to France following a delightful game of basketball, that will be remembered Belinda Snell’s outrageous buzzer beater from well within her own half.

France led Australia for much of their game that only really got going in the second half, following a first 20 littered with fouls and turnovers, which ultimately would prove more costly to the Opals.

Star centres Cambage (13 points) and Jackson (12) fouling out at the end of the game.

In a third quarter which saw a supreme Gomis score 16 of her 22 points, the French opened up a 10 point gap midway through, only for the Australians to edge ahead with just over four minutes remaining.

Celine Dumerc (13) would once again put le Bleues back ahead, followed by Gruda, bringing the gap to three. A missed close-range effort by Gomis – now turned villain – either side of a Belinda Snell free-throw left Australia with the smallest of hopes as Cambage sacrificed herself with her fifth personal foul with three seconds remaining.

Isabelle Yacoubou made the first, but not the second. Abbey Bishop latched onto the rebound, before passing the ball out wide on the left to a screaming Snell. After one dribble that brought her a couple of meters short of the midway line, Sneel lanched a perfectly aimed missile that never look like it was going anywhere else but.

Scores after regular time: 65-65.

But the Australians, now without Jackson and Cambage, would enter overtime weakened in the low post with Yacoubou stamping her authority on the game and making amends for her missed free throw. At last the French would open up a lead from which the Opals would not bounce back to end the game 74-70.

Canada and Great Britain came face to face in front of an electric crowd. The first 35 minutes saw the lead change hands on multiple occasions without either team being able to establish a sizeable lead.

But the North Americans increased the pressure, while the influence of Britain’s Joe Leedham (15 points) and Natalie Stafford (15) began to wane. Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn took a firm grip on the game to secure Canada’s first win of the tournament (73-65) and pile the pressure on Team GB, whose tournament doesn’t get any easier as they prepare to face Russia on Wednesday.

The Russians survived what threatened to become a Brazilian comeback, to secure a comfortable 69-59 win in spite of a monster performance by Erika Souza (15 points, 18 rebounds). Evgeniya Belyakova (14 points) and Irina Osipova (13) provided the bulk of Russia’s scoring, while centre Nadezhda Grishaeva (9 points, 8 rebounds) contributed to their domination in the paint.

For the Group A review, click here.

FIBA