Croatia gets first-ever Olympic win

ANGOLA – CROATIA 56-75

Croatia registered its first-ever win at the Olympic Games. They outplayed Angola 75-56 for 1-2 record in Group A. The win kept alive Croatias chances to advance to the quarterfinals. At the other side, Angola faced with third straight loss with no chance to advance. Ana Lelas was a key player in victory with 23 points and 6 rebounds. She made 5 of 7 attempts from behind the arc. Sandra Mandir had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Marija Vrsaljko helped with 10 points, plus 8 boards. In defeat, Luisa Tomas responded with 15 points and 8 rebs. Nadir Manuel and Nassecela Mauricio (8 rebs) netted 14 and 12 points respectively. Croatia was up by 9 at the halftime and after that made crucial 12-0 run at the beginning of third quarter. Angola could only get within 13 the rest of the way. It is important to mention that African countries won only one of their 27 games in the Olympics since Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) first qualified in the 1996 Atlanta Games. The tournament continues on Sunday, when Croatia will meet Turkey. Angolas next rival is Czech Republic.

Angola: Luisa Tomas 15+8 boards, Nadir Manuel 14, Nassecela Mauricio 12+8 boards
Croatia: Ana Lelas 23+6 boards, Sandra Mandir 18+5 boards+5 as, Marija Vrsaljko 10+8 boards