Russia defeats Canada in women's basketball at the Olympics
July 30, 2012
The Russian women's basketball team defeated Canada with an impressive comeback at the London Olympics. The Calgary Herald reports Russia was trailing Canada by 10 points with just five minutes left to go in the game, so the fate of this match seemed pretty set. However, Becky Hammon, a U.S.-born Russian player came back with an impressive run of baskets that helped pave the way for Russia to win the game with a final score of 58-53.
"You just keep playing and good things will happen," Hammon, of the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars, told The Associated Press. "Defensively we got a lot better in the fourth quarter. We got some deflections and were able to run."
Hammon left the U.S. to become a Russian citizen and play ball for the European nation prior to the Beijing Olympics, making this her second go-around with the Russian team. She was not performing very well in the first three quarters, as her many three-point shot attempts were unsuccessful, so she changed things up in the final quarter and started going for layups. Coupled with the team's defensive improvement, Russia was able to snag the victory. Both teams still have a long way to go before they can qualify for an Olympic medal. However, Russia may stand a better chances, as they are the third-ranked team in the Games, whereas Canada has not competed in the Olympics for basketball in 12 years.
The 12 competing teams have been divided into two groups of six, and the top four teams will advance to the next round, according to the Herald. Those who want to discuss the latest with their friends can make calls to Russia with international phone cards.