2016 Olympic Games: Quarterfinals Roundup
Quarterfinals day at the 2016 Olympic Games brought plenty of the excitement that was predicted. However, perhaps the contests were not quite as close as many thought they would be. The USA, Spain, and Australia all romped to easy wins to book their places in the final four. Serbia and Croatia had yet to hit the court at the time of writing.
The three teams already through can now taste medal glory and all will think they have a legitimate chance of claiming gold in Rio. Team USA finally clicked at the 2016 Olympic Games with a well-rounded win over the Argentina veterans. Spain made short work of France as the country continued to improve as the competition gets older. Australia has been slick since the start, and dealt with Lithuania in brutal fashion to move to the semis.
USA vs. Argentina, 105-78
The fact Team USA has struggled this week and been run close by France and Australia gave Argentina hope. However, despite looking shaky the reigning two-time champions were still the only nation unbeaten in the competition. It goes something like this, even a sub-par USA team is better than the rest. Argentina performed well enough, but the South Americans were never really in the contest, with the USA already up 56-40 through halftime. The champs simply cruised through the second half, winning each frame of the game to seal the win. Kevin Durant stood out with a game high 27 points for the USA, while Luis Scola topped Argentina with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Spain vs. France, 92-67
Spain has really looked the part over its last four games. After a terrible two game losing start to the 2016 Olympic Games, the Spanish have exploded with four hugely impressive wins. In this Quarterfinal the team demolished a tricky France team that has its own star power. However, in the face of Spain the French were torn apart. The Iberian giant has taken the silver medal at the last two Games, but on these displays the country is a serious contender for gold and could cause the USA problems. After a close first quarter Spain cruised, scoring over 20 points in each subsequent act and keeping France below 20. Nikola Mirotic topped the win with 23 points.
Australia vs. Lithuania, 90-64
Australia took apart Lithuania to continue its impressive run at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The team has now won every game apart from a narrow loss at the hands of the USA. The players for Down Under know about team spirit and are now among the favourties for gold. However, the Aussies admittedly came up against a Lithuania team that was on a downward spiral. The European won the first three games of the competition, victories that sent them through to the Quarterfinals. Since then Lithuania has lost four on the spin … this was the time to play them! Australia was up 48-29 by halftime and continued to extend its advantage through the third and fourth periods.