Day
4 (Preliminary Round 2) - Sep 2, 2002
- by
Eurobasket Group E
Spain - Turkey 87-64 Spain (23+19+21+24): Gasol 19 +
7 rbs, Rodríguez 12, Angulo 12, Jimenez 9, Garbajosa 9 - 3/7 3FG,
Marco 8, Paraiso 6, F. Reyes 6, Navarro 4, Calderon 2, Turkey (12+21+13+18): Okur 17 +
7 rbs, Tunçeri 12, Türkcan 10, Erdenay 9, Türkoglu 7, Pars 4, Onan 3,
Besok 2 - 1/7 FG All
stats
Everyone in Spain still remembers the game against Turkey in the last
EC, when Turkey had to win the game to survive in the Championship.
Spain had its revenge today with an easy win by 23 points. Spain ruled
the game from the first Q, and didn't leave the Turks a lot of
chances. Garbajosa opened the game with a 3 point shot, but Besok and
Okur made it 6-8 to Turkey. Gasol and Jimenez responded with a 17-4
run as the first Q came to an end. With Besok and Turkoglu in bad
shape Turkey couldn't come back to the game and the score at the end
of the first half was 42-33 for Gasol and the gang. 5:24 to go in the
3rd it was still only 52-42 for Spain, but then came a 11-2 run and
Spain took a 17 pts lead at the end of the 3rd, 63-46. Turkey gave up
and time just passed as Gasol and L. Angulo had their share of fun.
by Yarone Arbel
Spain proved once again that defense wins ballgames, holding Turkey
to a team-low 64 points on 23-of-56 (.411) shooting, running away with
the Group E first-round victory 87-64 on Monday at the 2002 World
Basketball Championships.
Spain (4-0) trailed 8-7 four minutes into the game before launching a
17-4 run - out-rebounding Turkey 11-3 in the span - to close out the
first period. Spain continued to pound the boards throughout the game,
grabbing 33 total rebounds, 25 on the defensive side.
Emotions ran high at the close of the first half following a hard
defensive foul by Jose Antonio Paraiso, echoing Spain's defensive
intensity and Turkey's frustration throughout the half.
"We knew Spain had impressive defensive power. They showed it in the
first three games," Turkey head coach Aydin Ors said. "We studied it
and prepared offensive sets to run, but in the game we couldn't work
them like we planned."
Spain's defense continues to stifle opponents, allowing just 242
points and 43 percent shooting through four games, and holding Turkey
to a tourney-low 64 points.
Spain drilled nine threes in the first quarter to build a 23-12 lead
and never looked back. Spain, which shot a dismal 3-of-15 from behind
the arc in its last outing, finished a tourney-high 12-of-24 from
three-point land.
A nine-point halftime lead grew to 19 on Carlos Marco's 19-footer
with 37 seconds remaining in the third period. Turkey wouldn't get
closer than 18 in the final period.
Turkey (1-3) didn't get much help from leading scorer Hidayet
Turkoglu, who was held to just four points through three quarters but
added a single-game high six assists. Turkoglu finished with seven
points, 12 points below his tournament average.
"We prepared well on defense," Spanish head coach Javier Imroda said.
"We know them well, as we've played them in Istanbul. It is hard to
stop Turkoglu."
NBA Rookie of the Year Pau Gasol tipped in 19 points and collected
seven rebounds to lead Spain, and guard Ignacio Rodriguez and reserve
Lucio Angulo recorded single-game bests of 12 points each.
Mehmet Okur led Turkey with 17 points and seven rebounds on 6-for-11
shooting. Kerem Tunceri added a single-game best 12 points, with 10
from reserve Mirsad Turkcan.
Spain takes on Puerto Rico at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the RCA Dome.
Turkey faces Angola at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
by FIBA (Brian Eaton) - check more details at
www.fiba.com
Brazil - Angola 86-83, OT Brazil (16+17+20+21+12):
Machado 25 - 6/8 3FG, A. Varejao 13 + 9 rbs, Klafke 10 - 1/9 FG & 7/7
FT, Giovannoni 9, S. Varejão 9 + 8 rbs, Ferraciú 8, Mazzuchini 5,
Splitter 3, Barbosa 2, Filho 2 Angola (21+16+20+17+9):
Victoriano 22 + 11 rbs, Muzadi 17, Lutonda 12, Gomes 11, Carvalho 9,
Almeida 8, Victoriano 4 All
stats
Brazil with a 2-0 record met Angola with a 0-2 record, but the game
itself was dominated by Angola. The Champions of Africa were the first
to blink on the scoreboard but Brazil made a 10-0 run in 3 minutes.
Angola didn't sit back and Angelo Victoriano led a 3-17 run by Angola
who was up 16-21 at the end of the first Q. Angola was on top of
Brazil and the gap went up to 9 after 4 minutes in the 2nd Q. A few
baskets by Brazil reduced the margin, but nothing below 4. 33-37
Angola at half time. 3:20 minutes in the 3rd and Machado nails a 3
point shot to make it a one point game, but Angola kept their hands on
the game and took a 7 pts lead in a short time. Angola took a 2-9 run
in the first minutes of the last Q, for a 55-66 lead. Brazil answered
with a 9-0 run and despite a 3 pointer by Victor Muzadi Brazil stayed
focus and tied the game with a little over 2 minutes to go. Carlos
Almeida scored 2 FT shots 28 sec. to go to pull a 71-74 lead for
Angola but Rogério Klafke was fouled while attempting to tie the game,
and was sent to the foul line to shot 3. His shots were sweet and the
game went to over time in a 74-74 tie. Ferraciu scored one from the
line to give Brazil their first lead in the game since the 1st Q.
Klafke scored 5 straight points to complete a 6-0 run in the first
minute of the OT. Angola fought back and a 3 points play by Victor
Muzadi marked 85-83 on the scoreboard, 36 sec. to go. Angola was able
to make a stop as Machado missed his shot, but the rebound was in
Sandro Varejo's hands. Muzadi made his last block in the game but
Machado was sent to the line. He made only the 2nd shot but Muzadi
missed the last 3 pts shot of the game, and Brazil won the QF ticket.
by Yarone Arbel
Rogerio Klafke came up with the big plays - the biggest of which was
the subject of dispute from the opposition - as Brazil rallied from an
11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Angola 86-83 in
overtime in the second round of the World Basketball Championship in
Conseco Fieldhouse on Monday.
Klafke drew a foul on a 3-point shot attempt and made all three free
throws with 8.9 seconds remaining in regulation to force the extra
period, then hit a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer to put Brazil -
which had trailed since the first quarter - up 80-74.
Angola coach Mario Palma voiced objection to the officials' decision
to give Klafke three fouls shots on the crucial play, using it as only
one example of many controversial officiating decisions.
"I think we played better than Brazil and I think we deserved to win
the game," said Palma. "I think the Brazilians agree with that. The
Brazilians were lucky. The referees made a decision to change from two
shots to three shots and I don't know why.
"I'm very happy with my players because we proved we deserve to be in
the second phase of this tournament. All the people who saw this game
know Angola deserved to win, but we had no luck."
Brazil coach Helio Rubens-Garcia did not disagree.
"We were basically baffled by luck," he said. "Angola is a very good
team and we were able to turn around a game that was lost. Angola
deserved to win because they played better.
"It is a birthday present and I am very happy to receive it."
Angola got a three-point play from Victor Muzadi to cut the lead to
85-83 in the closing seconds, but the African champions could get no
closer.
Marcelo Machado scored 25 to lead Brazil (4-0), which faces
Yugoslavia on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in the RCA Dome. Anderson Varajeo
had 13 points and nine rebounds while Klafke had 10 points and nine
rebounds.
"Our goal entering the tournament was to be in the top eight," said
Rubens-Garcia. "We have already achieved that, so now our goal is to
be in the top six."
Edmar Victoriano led Angola (1-3) with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Muzadi contributed 17 points and Joaquim Gomes (of Valparaiso
University) had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Angola led 66-55 with 7:30
remaining in the fourth period but made just one field goal in the
remaining minutes of regulation.
"Brazil is a better team than we are, no question," said Palma. "But
not today."
Angola faces Turkey on 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Conseco Fieldhouse.
by FIBA (Conrad Brunner) - check more details at
www.fiba.com
Puerto Rico - Yugoslavia 85-83 Puerto Rico: D.Santiago 31,
Ortiz 15, Ayuso 11, Arroyo 10, Hourruitiner 10, R.Dalmau 4, Latimer 4,
C.Dalmau, Mincy, Allende Yugoslavia: Stojakovic 26,
Jaric 16, Divac 14, Gurovic 9, Drobnjak 8, Bodiroga 4, Tomasevic 4,
Vujanic 2, Koturovic All
stats
Puerto Rico continued its surprising performance in the World
Basketball Championship with an 85-83 victory over powerful Yugoslavia
in a second-round game on Monday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Puerto Rico (3-1) faces Spain at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the RCA Dome.
Yugoslavia (2-2) meets Brazil at 1:30 p.m. in the RCA Dome.
Puerto Rico trailed 69-60 entering the fourth quarter but rallied. A
3-pointer by Carlos Arroyo pushed Puerto Rico into the lead, 80-78.
The game was not decided until the final seconds. With the score tied
83-83, Puerto Rico's Jose Ortiz - fouled by Peja Stojakovic battling
for a rebound - made one of two free throws, then rebounded his miss
and was fouled again, making the first to set off a raucous
celebration among the Puerto Rican players and fans.
by FIBA - check more details at
www.fiba.com
Group F
Germany - New Zealand 84-64 Germany: Dirk Nowitzki 17,
Ademola Okulaja 17, Mithat Demirel 14, Nikagbatse 13, Pesic 7,
femerling 6, Lutcke 6, Rodl 2, Garris 2, Arigbabu, Maras, Roller New Zealand: Kirk Penney 15,
Pero Cameron 14, Phill Jones 13, Dickel 9, Boucher 6, Flavell 3, Book
2, Hickey 2, Henare, Rampton All
stats
Life after Sean Marks got off to a brutal start for the Burger King
Tall Blacks as they lost their opening game of the world championship
second round 84-64 to Germany.
With their sole NBA player consigned to the sidelines with an eye
injury, the Kiwis never found a way to compete inside with their
taller rivals and lost the third quarter 13-27 to end any hopes of
another miraculous comeback.
Marks sat on the sidelines, his scratched right eye protected by a
pair of, er, stylish sunglasses. In his place, coach Tab Baldwin
installed defensive specialist Dillon Boucher with the assignment of
guarding Dallas Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, who had averaged
29.3 points in outings against the United States, China and Algeria.
"We gave Dillon a tough task against Nowitzki and he did a helluva
job," said Baldwin.
But Boucher’s inclusion presented a couple of problems for the Tall
Blacks, First of all, it gave them a very short starting lineup, and
they were always going to struggle inside against the height of
Nowitzki (2.13m) and German centre Patrick Femerling (2.14m).
"Without Sean, It was very difficult for us to establish any kind of
inside presence," said Baldwin. "We tried to take it to them and they
blocked out shots."
New Zealand had other weapons. Captain Pero Cameron, who has led his
troops superbly throughout the tournament, hit two quick three
pointers to build an early 12-8 lead and Boucher kept his illustrious
counterpart in check for most of the first quarter.
But once Baldwin had to go to his reserves, further problems arose.
When Kirk Penney picked up two early fouls, he would normally have
inserted Boucher as his sixth man.
Instead, Baldwin had to reach further down the bench, installing
third-string point guard Judd Flavell somewhat earlier than he would
have hoped.
Suddenly, players who had seen little action previously were among the
first off the bench. The Kiwi bench failed to register any points at
all in the first half and were outscored 28-7 for the match.
Against this comparative inexperience, the Germans went on a 16-0 run
to open a 28-16 advantage early in the second quarter.
Nowitzki was proving a handful, but he was by no means alone. Forward
Ademola Okulaja, a graduate of the strong University of North Carolina
programme, was almost unstoppable going to the basket and had 11
points by halftime.
Defensively, the Kiwis had done a good job holding their opponents
under 40 points at the break.
But on offence, the Tall Blacks found it difficult to score inside
against the German skyscrapers and committed seven turnovers in the
first quarter, many unsuccessfully trying to find an open man on the
perimeter.
Penney did return to the game and erupted for 10 second-quarter
points. After reducing the deficit to three points, New Zealand turned
32-39, but still in contention.
"I didn’t think we played very well in the first half," said Baldwin.
"We didn’t execute very well and we really wanted to go out and be
sharp.
"We made a lot of plays outside the scheme."
The man who finally killed hopes of another Kiwi revival was not
Nowitzki, Femerling or Okulaja, but perhaps the least-feared member of
the German starters, point guard Mithat Demirel.
Averaging just 2.7 points and having shot only two treys all
tournament, Demirel hit three in quick succession early in the second
half as his team went on a 20-7 run. He would hit another in the
fourth quarter before fouling out with five minutes remaining.
By that stage, the game was well in hand. Germany led 66-45 after
three quarters and although the Tall Blacks eventually took the final
quarter 19-18, they were never able to mount the kind of comeback that
might get them close again.
Nowitzki never really got off, shooting just 5/16 FG and 3/10 3pt for
his 17 points. Okulaja finished with 17 points and nine rebounds,
while Demirel had 14 points.
"With Marks out, we had more inside presence and we used it wisely,"
said German coach Henrik Dettman. "This was a good game for us because
Dirk had an off night shooting, but our other players stepped up."
Without an inside presence, the Germans were able to cheat on the Tall
Black outside threats, who subsequently struggled to find any rhythm.
The team shot just 35% FG and 8/25 (32%) from beyond the arc.
Penney had respectable numbers, shooting 6/12 FG and 2/4 3pt among his
15 points, while also leading his team with six rebounds. Cameron had
14 points and four assists, while Phill Jones had 13 points.
"I hate these kind of games," said Baldwin. "It was one of those
performances where our desire to play hard may have got in the way of
our desire to play smart.
"Germany had a great third quarter and jumped on us. I thought we
could make a run on them, but they continued to execute.
"It was a long, long second half. Now we’ve got a tough game
tomorrow."
The Tall Blacks now face the United States, who overcame Russia 106-82
tonight.
"You always should go into a game feeling you have a chance," said
Baldwin of his next opponents.
by Grant Chapman
Germany proved today that it could win without a stellar performance
from superstar Dirk Nowitzki, as it defeated New Zealand, 84-64, in
both teams' second-round opener tonight in the RCA Dome.
Germany (3-1) had offensive help from forward Ademola Okulaja, who,
like Nowitzki, scored 17, as well as Mithat Demirel, who dumped in 14
of his own. Guard Misan Nikagbatse scored 13 points as well for the
Germans.
New Zealand (2-2), making its first ever second-round appearance, was
without the services of center Sean Marks (Miami Heat), who sat out
with an eye injury. Marks' presence was missed, as Germany outscored
the Kiwis 30-22 in the paint.
Kirk Penney, who also plays for the University of Wisconsin, led New
Zealand's offense. Penney scored a team-high 15, while collecting a
team-high six rebounds. Center Pero Cameron scored 14, including two
connections from behind the arc in the first half.
Nowitzki, who entered today's game second in scoring average for the
tournament with 29.0 points per game, started the game off his rhythm,
and struggled throughout, connecting on only one of his first five
from the field and ending the game five-of-16 (.312).
Despite the poor shooting performance, Nowitzki was able to score 12
points in the first half to help Germany take a 39-32 advantage into
the locker room. He ended the game tied for a team high with 17
points, 12 below his tournament average.
Germany's defense handicapped New Zealand, allowing them to connect
on only 23-of-65 (.354) from the field for the game. The German
defense also forced the Kiwis into 19 turnovers, which led to 21
points for Germany.
"We came into today's game thinking we could win, but we struggled,
especially in the second half," New Zealand guard Dillon Boucher said.
"This was a big game, and we have an even bigger game tomorrow night."
Germany will continue its second round play tomorrow when it takes on
Argentina in Conseco Fieldhouse at 5:30. New Zealand will play the
United States at 8:00 p.m. in Conseco Fieldhouse.
by FIBA (Tim Murray) - check more details at
www.fiba.com
Argentina - China 95-71 Argentina: Palladino 14, Scola
13, Wolkowyski 12, Sconochini 11, Noccioni 10, Ginobili 8, Montecchia
8, Oberto 8, Sanchez 3, Victoriano 3, Fernandez 3, Gutierrez 2 China: Bateer 14, Wei 12, Ming
11, Fangyu 11, Feng 6, Xiaobin 5, Shioiang 4, Weidong 3, Nan 3, Cheng
2, Ke 1
All stats
Argentina defeated China 95-71 in the first game of the second round
and therefore clinche a quarterfinals berth.
An excellent first quarter in both offense and defense, allowed
argentinean to take a 27-9 lead early in the game, and after that
point, the victory was never at a risk. Bateer was in foul trouble
early, so the chinese could not affor to have him and Yao Ming
together for long time. China got to be as close as ten points behind
early in the third quarter, but Argentina answered with a 12-2 run.
Ginobili finally had an off game on offense as he was severely
guarded, but he took advantage of it to create room for his teammates.
Wolkowisky and Scola produced more on the offensive side and Palladino
contributed with four three pointers. Montecchia had an excellent game
defensively and offensively. Pepe Sanchez got injured in the first
half and he was preserved in the second half.
by Leonardo Contieri
USA - Russia 106-82 USA: Pierce 27, A.Miller 18,
A.Davis 13, Brand 11, Marion 8, Finley 7, O'Neal 6, Wallace 5,
R.Miller 3, LaFrentz 2, Williams Russia: Z.Pachoutine 16, Avleev
11, E.Pachoutine 10, Chikalkin 9, Panov 8, Morgunov 8, Kudelin 6,
Karassev 6, Amanatidis 4, Khryapa 2, Bashminov 2 All
stats
Russia cannot count the tournament to their best ones. They were not
too impressive in the preliminary round one, but also this time they
were not able to challenge US team.
13-16 Place: Canada - Lebanon 91-67 Canada (22+22+23+24): Barrett
18, Karangwa 18, Ross 17, Thomas 9, Meeks 8, Anderson 7, Jobity 5,
Channer 4, Hamilton 3, Swords 2 Lebanon (16+15+22+14): Vogel 19
+ 9 rbs, Mchantaf 12, El Khatib 9 + 8 rbs, El Boustani 8, Fahed 8,
Samaha 5, El Hage 4, El Domiati 2 All
stats
Canada got their first win after 3 losses on Lebanon's account and
will play for the 13th place in the WC. The Canadians made a big 11-0
run in the first 2:18 minutes of the game, and pretty much sealed the
game. Lebanon made a comeback to 20-16 (9th) and 24-21 (12th) but
nothing more than that. Barrett & Karangwa made sure Lebanon will stay
behind and by half time Canada was up by 13 (44-31). Lebanon made
another attempt and came back all the way to tie the game in the 3rd
quarter but Canada had another run before the end of the 3rd Q. 8 min.
from the final buzzer it was still no more than 12 pts lead for
Canada, but then came the last run of the game when Canada outscored
Lebanon 14-3 to secure the first Canadians win 91-67.
by Yarone Arbel
Bench play and strong rebounding help lead Canada over the John
Neumann-less Lebanon team 91-67 in the 2002 World Basketball
Championships on September 2.
"We divided up the playing time, because we have to build for the
future," Canada coach Jay Triano said. "It increases our intensity
when we go to the bench. When you play that many, they all know they
are going to get a chance to play, so it keeps the emotion on the
bench high."
Canada's bench outscored Lebanon's 47-21, and eight players grabbed
four or more rebounds, en route to outrebounding Lebanon 50-31.
The game against Canada marked Lebanon's first since firing Neumann
on September 1 for disparaging remarks about Lebanese federation
officials on national television. Assistant coach Saskis Koryian will
coach the Lebanese team for the remainder of the championships.
"We had so many problems before this game, coaches and players tried
to play a good game, but we came out bad," Koryian said. "We didn't
have the spirit to play this game today."
After digging itself into an 11-0 hole in the first quarter, Lebanon
clawed its way back to within four points near the end of the first
quarter. Then, an untimely foul, with 5.3 seconds remaining in the
quarter put Canada's Sherman Hamilton on the line. Hamilton converted
both foul shots to give his team a 22-16 advantage heading into the
second quarter.
Canada pulled away again in the second quarter, extending the lead to
10 points with two minutes remaining, then to 44-31 when the buzzer
rang at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Lebanon made a surge at the Canadian team, tying
up the score at 48 and 51 before falling behind for the final time on
a three-pointer by Stephen Ross with 3:23 remaining in the third
quarter. Ross finished the game with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
"We had a very big comeback in the third quarter," Lebanon guard Elie
McChantaf said. "They didn't win this game, we lost it."
The fourth quarter slump again plagued Lebanon, which has been
outscored by its opponents 105-83 in the final period. Canada used
fast-break points and stifling defense to silence Lebanon and run away
with the 24-point win.
Lebanon (0-4) will play Algeria tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the RCA Dome
for 15th place, and Canada (1-3) will take on Venezuela tomorrow at 11
a.m. at Conseco Fieldhouse for 13th place.
by FIBA (Laura Podolak) - check more details at
www.fiba.com
13-16 Place: Venezuela - Algeria 98-83 Venezuela (20+29+22+27): Diaz
29 - 4/7 3FG, Torres 20, Lugo 17 + 16 rbs, Romero 9, Mijares 8,
Herrera 6, Machado 4, Morris 2, Aguilera 2, Quiroz 1 Algeria (24+24+16+19):
Benramdane 29 - 7/11 3FG, Boughedir 21 + 8 rbs, Doubal 9, Sayah 8,
Mehenaoui 8, Ouali 6. Belhimeur 2, All
stats
Venezuela took a 5-0 lead in the early minutes but Algeria took
control of the game pretty fast with a 5-16 run, and by the end of the
1st Q had a 20-24 lead. The first minutes of the 2nd Q were pretty
much the same as Algeria took a 22-35 lead, but right before Algeria
takes off Venezuela responded with a 4-17 run and Torres scored one
shot from the line to make it 49-48 after 20 minutes. Algeria was
still alive for the 6:30 minutes of the 3rd Q, and had a small 62-64
lead, but from that point on it was all Venezuela. a 22-0 run stunned
the Algerians and put Venezuela far ahead. The final score was 98-83.
by Yarone Arbel
Victor Diaz continued his torrid scoring pace with 29 to lead
Venezuela past Algeria 98-83 in a placement game of the World
Basketball Championship on Monday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Venezuela (1-3) moves into the 13-14 final against Canada (1-3) on
Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Conseco Fieldhouse. Algeria (0-4) faces Lebanon
(0-4) in the 15-16 final on Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the RCA Dome.
Diaz has averaged 23.5 points in the tournament, and he got plenty of
support on Tuesday. Oscar Torres of the NBA's Houston Rockets scored
20 and Richard Lugo had 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Algeria was led by Amine Benramdine with 29 points. Moured Boughedir
scored 21.
The game was close throughout the first half, with Venezuela holding
a narrow 49-48 lead at the break.
by FIBA - check more details at
www.fiba.com
