Olympic Hoops Semi-Finals are Set

The 2012 Olympic Quarterfinals are in the books! Russia reached the Olympic semifinals for the first time as an independent country by topping Lithuania 83-74 in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday. Reigning Euroleague MVP Andrei Kirilenko led the winners with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Timofey Mozgov added 17 points and former All-Euroleague forward Viktor Khryapa of CSKA had 12, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for Russia. Spain made it to the Olympic semifinals for the third time ever by edging France 59-66 behind 14 points from Marc Gasol and 12 from two-time Euroleague champion Juan Carlos Navarro of FC Barcelona Regal added 12. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw had 15 points for France. Russia and Spain will meet again in the semifinals on Friday. Argentina reached its third consecutive Olympic semifinals by edging Brazil 77-82 on Wednesday. Former All-Euroleague forward Luis Scola led the winners with 17 points. Last but not least, USA defeated Australia 119-86, as Lebron James had 11 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for a triple double. USA will face Argentina in the other semifinal, also scheduled at the O2, home of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, on Friday.

Russia 83-74 Lithuania
Russia reached the Olympic tournament semifinals as an independent country for the first time by topping Lithuania 83-74 in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday. Kirilenko led the winners with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Mozgov added 17 points, had 12, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, Vitaly Fridzon got 11 points and his BC Khimki Moscow Region teammate Sergey Monya had 10 for Russia. Rimantas Kaukenas of Zalgiris Kaunas led Lithuania with 19 points. Darius Songaila added 15 and Mantas Kalnietis of Zalgiris had 14. A three-pointer by four-time Euroleague champion Sarunas Jasikevicius of FC Barcelona Regal got Lithuania going and former All-Euroleague forward Linas Kleiza soon gave his team a 4-7 lead. Mozgov stepped up with consecutive layups and soon capped a 9-0 Russian run with another basket. Free throws by Fridzon boosted his team’s lead to 17-10 after 10 minutes. Kirilenko kept pacing Russia with a power basket and a driving layup by Khryapa forced Lithuania to call timeout at 21-12. Songaila and Kaukenas tried to change things for Lithuania and brought their team within 25-21. Kirilenko shined with a huge dunk and a layup by Sasha Kaun of CSKA gave Russia some fresh air, 29-23. Fridzon struck from downtown but free throws by Songaila fixed the halftime score at 32-27. Kirilenko followed a tip-in with foul shots and a three-pointer by Khryapa made it a double-digit game, 44-32, midway through the third quarter. Khryapa and Mozgov extended the Russian lead, 51-37, but Lithuania found a go-to guy in Kalnietis, who got some help from Marty Pocius of Real madrid to bring their team back in the game, 54-50, after 30 minutes. Kaukenas downed a triple early in the fourth quarter for a 54-53 score but Khryapa and Monya answered from downtown to boost the Russian lead to 62-55 with 6 minutes left. Anton Ponkrashov of CSKA and Monya shined in crunch time and a three-point play by Kirilenko sealed the outcome, 77-69, in the next-to-last minute.

Spain 66-59 France
Spain made it to the Olympic semifinals for the third time ever by edging France 59-66 on Wednesday. Marc Gasol led the winners with 14 points. Navarro added 12 while former All-Euroleague forward Pau Gasol had 10 for Spain. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw had 15 points for France while Eurocup champ Florent Pietrus had 10 for Les Bleus. Navarro got Spain going with a three-pointer but Diaw and Parker soon gave France a 5-3 edge. Les Bleus kept running their offense through Turiaf and a dunk by Kevin Seraphin allowed France to extend its margin to 12-7. Parker and Diaw, who had 8 points apiece in the first quarter, boosted the French lead to 22-15 but Sergio Rodriguez connected with his Real Madrid teammate Rudy Fernandez for a reverse alleyoop slam that fixed the score at 22-17 after 10 minutes. Diaw and Nicolas Batum shined early in the second quarter and a layup by Pietrus made it an eight-point game, 29-21. Fernandez and Sergio Llull of Real Madrid tried to change things for Spain but Pietrus struck twice from downtown to keep France way ahead, 35-28. Spain improved its defense late in the first half, as Marc Gasol and Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid brought their team within 37-34 at halftime. Jose Manuel Calderon scored off a steal and free throws by Marc Gasol completed the Spanish comeback, 37-38. Marc Gasol took over with a three-pointer but Parker and Mickael Gelabale of BC Khimki Moscow Region made France restore a 45-44 edge. Diaw and Parker struck from downtown to give France some fresh air, 53-49. Free throws by Navarro brought Spain within 53-51 after 30 minutes. A fast break dunk by Llull forced France to call timeout, 57-58, with under 6 minutes to go. Both teams struggled to score more than 4 minutes until Fernandez made free throws with 1:31 to go, 57-60. Marc Gasol scored around the basket and a free throw by Calderon sealed the outcome, 57-63, with 24.4 seconds to go.

Argentina 82-77 Brazil
Argentina reached its third consecutive Olympic semifinals by edging Brazil 77-82 on Wednesday. Scola led the winners with 17 points. Former Euroleague winner Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino each added 16, two-time All-Euroleague forward Andres Nocioni of Caja Laboral had 12 while Juanpi Gutierrez got 11 for Argentina. Leandrinho Barbosa and FC Barcelona Regal playmaker Marcelinho Huertas led Brazil with 22 points apiece. Alex Garcia added 10. A three-pointer by Nocioni gave Argentina an early 3-5 lead. Huertas stepped up with 7 quick points, including a rainbow triple to make Brazil regain a 12-9 edge. Back-to-back three-pointers by Delfino put Argentina back ahead, 18-19. Brazil found a go-to guy in Huertas, whose 13 first-quarter points helped his team to get a 26-23 lead after 10 minutes. Argentina improved its defense early in the second quarter while Scola and Ginobili provided another lead change, 30-32. Delfino nailed his third triple but Huertas and former All-Euroleague center Tiago Splitter kept Brazil within 38-41. Ginobili and Delfino hit free throws and Juanpi Gutierrez added a jump hook to boost the Argentinian lead to 40-46 at halftime. Huertas kept pacing Brazil after the break but an unstoppable Scola and a three-pointer by Nocioni allowed Argentina to get its first double-digit lead, 44-54. Brazil called timeout but kept struggling to score while Facu Campazzo and Juanpi Gutierrez allowed Argentina to break the game open, 46-61. Barbosa kept Brazil some hope, 54-64, after 30 minutes. Nene Hilario and Alex Garcia fueled a 9-0 run that brought Brazil back to the game, 68-70. Ginobili and Nocioni rescued Argentina with consecutive baskets but Barbosa hit a triple for a 71-74 score with a minute left. Ginobili and Scola hit free throws to seal the outcome down the stretch and send Argentina to the semifinals.

USA 119-86 Australia
USA stormed into the Olympic semifinals by thrashing Australia 119-86 on Wednesday. Kobe Bryant led 6 USA players in double digits with 20 points. James added 11, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for a triple double. Patty Mills had 26 points for Australia while Joe Ingles of FC Barcelona Regal added 19. Kevin Durant got USA going with a catch-and-shoot triple and an alleyoop dunk by Tyson Chandler gave his team a 5-2 lead. Mills struck twice from downtown to make the Boomers get the lead, 5-8. Durant and Chrus Paul stepped up for USA but a free throw by three-time Euroleague champion David Andersen tied it at 12-12. A 7-0 run that Carmelo Anthony capped with a layup-plus-foul gave USA the lead for good, 19-12. USA improved its defense and free throws by Deron Williams gave his team its first double-digit lead, 26-16. Aleks Maric of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Mills brought Australia within 28-21 after 10 minutes. Durant nailed his third triple early in the second quarter and Williams made it a 12-point game, 34-22. Two-time Eurocup champion Matt Nielsen and Brad Newley took over to keep the Boomers as close as 39-31. James downed a triple but a red hot Newley and a layup by Ingles made USA call timeout at 44-36. Anthony and Williams shined to boost their team’s margin to 54-38, enough to lead 56-42 at halftime. Mills ignited the Boomers’ comeback with 5 unanswered points in a 0-11 run that Ingles capped with consecutive three-pointer to get Australia within 56-53. Durant and Bryant tried to change things for USA but a jump hook by Andersen kept Australia as close as 63-58. It didn’t last long, however, as Bryant nailed consecutive triples to make USA restore a 74-60 margin. USA kept a 84-70 lead after 30 minutes. Australia kept trying but only managed to trade baskets for a while. Bryant buried four consecutive three-pointers, as USA broke the game open, 105-80, and never looked back.

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