Russia defeats Great Britain on the basketball court ahead of London Olympics
June 29, 2012
The 2012 London Olympics are fast approaching, and athletes around the world are getting in as much practice and preparation as possible before the games begin. The basketball teams of Russia and Great Britain have been meeting up on the court to practice at a training facility in Texas. BBC Sport reports Russia has defeated Britain four times in a row, with the most recent game finishing up with a score of 76 to 54. The British team held their own through the first half of the game, but Russia overtook them in the second half.
"The first half was very tough and I think it shows the potential of the Great Britain team," Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko told BBC. "They can play basketball, good quality basketball."
Kirilenko was Russia's top scorer in the most recent friendly, with 16 points and eight rebounds, according to The Associated Press. He, along with Viktor Khryapa and Vitaliy Fridzon helped Russia put Great Britain's 28-26 halftime lead. The team was not doing too great in the first half, but they were revitalized for the third and fourth quarters, shooting at nearly 50 percent, the news source indicates. Of the 39 shots the Russian team took, they made 39.
Next week the Russian team and other Olympic hopefuls will head to Caracas, Venezuela, for the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Basketball fans can make calls to Russia with phone cards to talk to their friends about the upcoming tournament and Russia's chances of going to London to compete for the gold.