U.S., Russia Clobber Foes And Advance
12 August 1994
TORONTO -- The United States and Croatia scored crushing victories at the basketball world championship as both teams clinched berths in the semifinals with 2-0 records in the round-robin quarterfinals.
In other Wednesday games, Russia clobbered Australia and Greece outplayed China to advance to the next round.
U.S. 134, Puerto Rico 83. The U.S. Dream Team II, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Reggie Miller, added some flash to a game that would otherwise have been more of a snooze than a dream.
O'Neal scored 29 points, 25 of them in the second half and 20 of them on dunks, while Miller bombed away for 28, outscoring the entire Puerto Rican team in the first half 26-25.
"Shooters shoot, dunkers dunk," said Miller of a game in which the United States had 19 dunks and 19 3-pointers.
"The big fella went about his business tonight," said teammate Larry Johnson of O'Neal, the giant young center for the Orlando Magic whose dunks often came as the Puerto Ricans simply stood by and watched in awe.
Russia 103, Australia 76. Sergei Babkov scored 19 points to lead Russia to victory. Russia (2-0), which swept its three opening-round games, dominated Australia from the start, taking a 20-10 lead 7.5 minutes in and then scored the next 12 points for a 23-point lead with 9:01 left in the first half.
Babkov had 13 points in the opening 10 minutes, hitting two 3-pointers to complement an inside game that made 21 of 28 shots in the first half.
Russia led 55-30 at halftime and kept the margin throughout the second half. Andrei Fetisov, a second-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics this year who has since been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, added 18 points for Russia and Vitaly Nasov had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Shane Heal scored all of his 18 points from 3-point range to lead Australia (0-2), while Andrew Gaze had 17 points.
Croatia 92, Canada 61. Dino Radja scored 25 points and Arijan Komazec added 22 as Croatia crushed Canada.
Radja, who plays for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics, shot a blazing 12-for-15 from the field, Toni Kukoc of the Chicago Bulls scored 15 and acted as playmaker for most of the game, and 7-foot-1 Stojan Vrankovic, a former Celtic, patrolled the middle, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds and blocking five shots.
Croatia, with an NBA connection of its own, is a strong candidate along with Russia to finish second behind the United States in the tournament.
Greece 77, China 61. Panagiotis Fassoulas was 7-for-8 from the field and had 20 points to lead Greece to victory.
Greece and Croatia, both unbeaten in two quarterfinal games, will play Friday night with the loser most probably facing the United States in the semifinals.
Greece led 48-43 with 13:07 to play when it went on an 11-2 run. Fassoulas scored the final six points for a 14-point lead with 8:47 left.
Zheng Wu hit a 3-pointer for China (0-2) 42 seconds later, but that was as close as it got the rest of the way. Panagiotis Giannakis and Giorgis Sigalas each had 15 points for Greece, which went 2-1 in the opening round. Zheng finished with 19 points, while Wu Naiqun had 13 points and 10 rebounds. (Reuters, AP)
In other Wednesday games, Russia clobbered Australia and Greece outplayed China to advance to the next round.
U.S. 134, Puerto Rico 83. The U.S. Dream Team II, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Reggie Miller, added some flash to a game that would otherwise have been more of a snooze than a dream.
O'Neal scored 29 points, 25 of them in the second half and 20 of them on dunks, while Miller bombed away for 28, outscoring the entire Puerto Rican team in the first half 26-25.
"Shooters shoot, dunkers dunk," said Miller of a game in which the United States had 19 dunks and 19 3-pointers.
"The big fella went about his business tonight," said teammate Larry Johnson of O'Neal, the giant young center for the Orlando Magic whose dunks often came as the Puerto Ricans simply stood by and watched in awe.
Russia 103, Australia 76. Sergei Babkov scored 19 points to lead Russia to victory. Russia (2-0), which swept its three opening-round games, dominated Australia from the start, taking a 20-10 lead 7.5 minutes in and then scored the next 12 points for a 23-point lead with 9:01 left in the first half.
Babkov had 13 points in the opening 10 minutes, hitting two 3-pointers to complement an inside game that made 21 of 28 shots in the first half.
Russia led 55-30 at halftime and kept the margin throughout the second half. Andrei Fetisov, a second-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics this year who has since been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, added 18 points for Russia and Vitaly Nasov had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Shane Heal scored all of his 18 points from 3-point range to lead Australia (0-2), while Andrew Gaze had 17 points.
Croatia 92, Canada 61. Dino Radja scored 25 points and Arijan Komazec added 22 as Croatia crushed Canada.
Radja, who plays for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics, shot a blazing 12-for-15 from the field, Toni Kukoc of the Chicago Bulls scored 15 and acted as playmaker for most of the game, and 7-foot-1 Stojan Vrankovic, a former Celtic, patrolled the middle, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds and blocking five shots.
Croatia, with an NBA connection of its own, is a strong candidate along with Russia to finish second behind the United States in the tournament.
Greece 77, China 61. Panagiotis Fassoulas was 7-for-8 from the field and had 20 points to lead Greece to victory.
Greece and Croatia, both unbeaten in two quarterfinal games, will play Friday night with the loser most probably facing the United States in the semifinals.
Greece led 48-43 with 13:07 to play when it went on an 11-2 run. Fassoulas scored the final six points for a 14-point lead with 8:47 left.
Zheng Wu hit a 3-pointer for China (0-2) 42 seconds later, but that was as close as it got the rest of the way. Panagiotis Giannakis and Giorgis Sigalas each had 15 points for Greece, which went 2-1 in the opening round. Zheng finished with 19 points, while Wu Naiqun had 13 points and 10 rebounds. (Reuters, AP)
|
|
Tweet |
|
This article has no comments. Be the first to leave a comment |
Discussion
Comments
To post comments you must be registered
Comments via Facebook
Most Read
1.
Soviet Crooner Khil Dead at 77
Brezhnev-era crooner Eduard Khil, a People’s Artist of Russia who rose to international acclaim in recent years as the “Trololo Man” after footage of his jolly yodeling became an Internet sensation, died early Monday in St. Petersburg.
2.
Putin Vows to Stand by Europe's Side
President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered European Union leaders help in their fight against a deepening debt crisis, on the same day that the ruble slid to new lows against the euro.
3.
Pussy Riot Case Enters Next Stage
The preliminary investigation of the Pussy Riot affair has been completed, allowing the defense to begin examining evidence against the women accused in the case.
4.
Euro 2012 Leaves Ukraine Rocked by Racism Controversy
Victor Chikelu, a Nigerian medical student, was punched and told to go back to Africa by a drunk in the Kiev subway two years ago.
5.
Peskov: BP Move Not Bad Signal for Investors
The Kremlin doesn't believe that BP's possible departure from its Russian joint venture would be a bad signal for other foreign investors.
6.
Lessons for Investors From TNK-BP
The highly depressed valuations on the stock market today would have you believe that Russia is a sort of a hybrid of a Las Vegas roulette wheel with an economic profile to make even Greece look attractive.
7.
Russians Convicted as Mercenaries in Libya
A Libyan military court sentenced two Russians, 19 Ukrainians and three Belorussians to long prison terms Monday for serving as mercenaries for Moammar Gadhafi during the conflict that led to his overthrow last year.
8.
Medvedev Says Putin Swap Was 'Honest'
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev insists that swapping places with President Vladimir Putin was an "honest decision."
9.
Soviet Children's Fear of Being Left Alone
One of the issues that has troubled me most since I began teaching in Russia did not surface in my classes until more than a year had passed.
10.
United Russia Pushes for Military Training in Schools
A group of United Russia deputies wants to reinstate Soviet-era military training in high schools to promote patriotism and fondness for the armed forces.
1.
City Mistakenly Plants Marijuana Field Instead of Lawn
After the city spread soil containing "grass" seeds around the Brateyevo metro station, a field of marijuana plants sprouted up instead of a lawn.
2.
Soviet Crooner Khil Dead at 77
Brezhnev-era crooner Eduard Khil, a People’s Artist of Russia who rose to international acclaim in recent years as the “Trololo Man” after footage of his jolly yodeling became an Internet sensation, died early Monday in St. Petersburg.
3.
McFaul Faces Kremlin Scorn Once Again
The Foreign Ministry assailed U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul for comments the ministry said went "far beyond the bounds of diplomatic etiquette."
4.
Prominent Businessman Shot Near FSB Headquarters
A prominent business leader was shot and wounded by three masked men in the heart of Moscow on Friday — just steps away from FSB headquarters.
5.
Putin's Final Act
Russians are usually patient and slow to rebel, but once they have turned on their leader, they don't stop until he is out.
6.
U.S.-Russian 3-Year Multientry Visa Bill to Go to Duma
After months of delays, the government has finalized a much-touted visa agreement with the United States and drafted the corresponding bill.
7.
Putin's Foreign Policy Goes on the Road
In a symbolic gesture, President Vladimir Putin on Thursday arrived in Minsk to pay his first foreign visit as head of state to controversial Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
8.
Putin Denies Russian Role in Syrian Violence
Under mounting international pressure, President Putin denied that Moscow is fueling bloodshed in Syria with arms exports and that Russia unilaterally supports the Assad regime.
9.
European Debt Crisis Driving Workers East
Despite its inconveniences, Moscow has become a magnet for foreign job-seekers, as unemployment in Europe is hitting record highs amid the debt crisis.
10.
McFaul and State Department Respond to Attack
The U.S. ambassador and the U.S. State Department said they were surprised by blistering criticism from the Foreign Ministry regarding comments McFaul made to students last week.
1.
Hundreds of Arrests Set Grim Backdrop for Victory Day Celebrations
As Moscow gears up to celebrate its victory in World War II, 67 years ago Wednesday, the shadow of political conflict shrouds the capital as hundreds of arrests cloud Victory Day festivities.
2.
City Mistakenly Plants Marijuana Field Instead of Lawn
After the city spread soil containing "grass" seeds around the Brateyevo metro station, a field of marijuana plants sprouted up instead of a lawn.
3.
Russian Satellite Takes Highest-Ever Resolution Picture of Earth
A stunning 121-megapixel snapshot of the Earth was taken by a Russian weather satellite in what is thought to be the highest resolution picture of the planet ever taken from space.
4.
Bodies, No Survivors Spotted at Superjet Crash
Search and rescue helicopters and volunteers struggling through thick forest and mountainous terrain spotted bodies but no survivors on the Indonesian mountainside where a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed by the time darkness forced an end to the search Thursday night.
5.
Tabloid: Superjet Downed by U.S. Industrial Sabotage
A tabloid claims that Russian intelligence agencies are investigating the possibility that the U.S. military may have brought down the Sukhoi Superjet that crashed in Indonesia.
6.
Furniture Magnate Shot Dead in Mercedes in Moscow Region
A 46-year-old furniture magnate was killed with six gunshot wounds to the head and chest early Sunday as he arrived in his Mercedes at his home in the Moscow region.
7.
New Cabinet Has Familiar Cast of Characters
President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced the makeup of the new Cabinet answering to Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, with three-fourths of the members having been replaced.
8.
Soviet Crooner Khil Dead at 77
Brezhnev-era crooner Eduard Khil, a People’s Artist of Russia who rose to international acclaim in recent years as the “Trololo Man” after footage of his jolly yodeling became an Internet sensation, died early Monday in St. Petersburg.
9.
Superjet Missing in Indonesia With 50 on Board
A dark cloud was cast Wednesday on the revival of Russia’s aviation industry when a Sukhoi-built Superjet 100 with 50 people on board disappeared from the radar screens of Indonesian flight controllers.
10.
McFaul Faces Kremlin Scorn Once Again
The Foreign Ministry assailed U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul for comments the ministry said went "far beyond the bounds of diplomatic etiquette."


