Aug

20

Jasikevicius Lifts Lithuania Past China 94-68

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Sarunas Jasikevicius was raining treys on Wednesday as the Lithuanian point guard went 5-6 from outside the arc, and led his team past China 94-68. The victory puts Lithuania in the Beijing Olympics semi-finals as they will match up against Spain. Jasikevicius to this observer will always be the one that got away from the NBA. He played for the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors, but did not get the minutes he wanted in the Association, so he went back to the Euro-Leagues following the 2006-2007 campaign. The two teams played competitively for the first quarter as Lithuania had a slim 19-17 lead at the end of the period. However Lithuania pulled away in the second quarter, they led 41-30 at halftime, and never looked back. Jasikevicius led all scorers with 23 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds. Yao Ming led China with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, in the loss.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Aug

20

Spain Heads To Semi-Finals After Beating Croatia 72-59

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Pau Gasol led all scorers Wednesday as he recorded a double-double, and Spain hung on to defeat Croatia 72-59. The win will send Spain on to the semi-finals where they will face Croatia. Spain basically won the game by building a substantial lead in the first quarter, and playing well enough the rest of the contest to keep the lead and get the victory. The Croatians trailed at the end of the first quarter 22-11, and though they kept pace with the Spaniards for the rest of the game, they never got over the hump. Gasol scored 20 points, grabbed 10 boards, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal. Marko Banic led Croatia with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 steal.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Aug

20

Greeks Lose Heart Breaker To Argentina 80-78

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Greek starting guard Vassilis Spanoulis had the chance to be the last second hero, but his attempt at a trey to win the game rimmed out of the hoop and Argentina went on to win Wednesday 80-78 in the Beijing Olympics quarter-finals. Argentina advances to the semi-finals as they face off against Team USA Friday.

This was one of the most competitive contest in the 2008 Games, as the two opponents kept the score close all game. Greece held the sheerest of leads at the end of the first quarter as they were ahead 23-22. The margin was the same at the half as the Greeks led 40-39 when the two teams went to their respective locker rooms. Argentina was able to turn the tables during the third quarter, and led 56-55 going into the fourth. Greece shot 50% (28-56) from the floor for the contest, while the Argentinians shot 49.2% (31-63).

Manu Ginobili again led the Argentine way, as he scored a game high 24 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 block. Carlos Delfino scored 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 assist. Greek forward Antonis Fotsis recorded a double-double as he scored 17 points, 10 boards, 2 steals, 1 assist, in the loss.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Aug

20

Team USA Waltzes Past Australia 116-85; Olympic Semi-Finals Next

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The Australian National team played Team USA tough for the first quarter Wednesday. But the Americans pulled away in the second and third periods, and it led to another pretty easy win for Team USA Wednesday as they defeated Australia 116-85. Team USA is now 6-0 in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and their next task will be to take on 2004 Gold Medal winners Argentina in the semi-finals.

Australia arguably played as well during the first quarter against the team from the United States, as anyone has so far in the Games. The Americans had a razor thin lead of 25-24 at the end of the period. But Team USA started to widen the gap in the second quarter as they had a 55-43 advantage as the two teams reached the half. The deficit for the Aussies grew even larger in the third quarter, as it was an 89-61 game heading into the final period. Australia was never a credible threat in the fourth.

Team USA shot 56.6% (43-76) from the floor for the game. Kobe Bryant led five players in double figures as he scored a game high 25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block. LeBron James just missed a double-double, as he scored 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, Carmelo Anthony had 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. Deron Williams came off the bench and scored 10 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and Chris Bosh also scored 10 points coming off the pine, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist.

Patrick Mills led Australia as he scored 20 points, 3 steals, 2 assists. Team USA will next play Friday against Argentina for the right to play in the Championship game Sunday.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Aug

20

ESPN: NBA Insider: Team USA, Dwyane Wade, Mo Williams Trade

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Aug

20

ESPN: Mourning Impressed By Team USA

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Aug

20

ESPN: Team USA Ready For The Medal Round

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