USA breeze past Mozambique, hand Nigeria spot at the Olympics

BELGRADE (Serbia) - USA made it two wins from two with their 124-49 success against Mozambique also ensuring Nigeria qualify from Group A at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Despite their earlier defeat to Serbia, Nigeria are now guaranteed a top-three finish in the group with the hosts set for a crucial showdown with Mozambique tomorrow.

Turning Point: It was a rout from tip-to-buzzer as USA quickly asserted their authority and never looked back. A run of 16 straight points made it 45-10 early in the second period and the lead continued to grow.

Game Hero: Nneka Ogwumike showed out with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting along with 9 rebounds with 10 players scoring at least 8+ points. Chelsea Gray was a key orchestrator of the offense with 12 assists.

Stats Don't Lie: USA's bench scored 68 points. Mozambique scored 49 as a team.  And the two teams were some distance apart in the shooting percentages with USA up above 63 percent compared to their opponents' 24 percent.

Bottom Line: USA were able to spread the minutes throughout the roster in another fine tune-up and close out the tournament against Nigeria tomorrow. The decisive showdown will follow in the evening as Mozambique still have an outside shot if they can stun the hosts, Serbia.

 
FIBA