Czech Republic dominate the fourth quarter to thump Croatia – London Olympics Women Basketball Recap
The Czech Republic women basketball team staged huge fourth quarter to clinch a victory against Croatia at the London Olympics tonight.
The Czechs outscored Croatia 32-10 in the final quarter to carve out a 89-70 win, their first at this year’s Olympics.
Katerina Elhotova led the Czech scoring with 20 points and 3 rebounds, while Ilona Burgrova finished with 19 points and 4 rebounds. Sandra Mandir was the scoring leader for Croatia, finishing with 20 points and 6 rebounds for the
night.
Croatia reeled off a 10-0 run to start the game, running away to a 10 point lead. The Czechs got off to a slow start, missing its first eight field goal attempts before Elhotova put the first points on the board for them with a
two point shot.
The Czech side quickly got into rhythm and almost absorbed all of Croatia’s lead, trailing by only 1 point after a three pointer by Elhotova deep into the frame. The Czech women then scored 7 straight points to take a 22-16 lead,
before Mandir sank a three pointer to cut the deficit to three points and bring an end to an exciting first period.
The Czechs were particularly hot from three point range, and scored 7 quick points in the 2nd quarter to extend their lead to 34-26 with 4:45 left in the half. Five consecutive points by Mandir once again brought Croatia
within striking distance, reducing the deficit to 37-41. Czech Republic closed the 1st half with a 45-39 lead.
5 quick points in the early going of the third period gave the Czech Republic a 50-39 lead, but Croatia were not letting the match get away from them without a fight. They scored 9 points in succession over a span of less than
two minutes to trail 50-52. Two free throws by Ana Lelas tied the game at 52 on the next possession, and Lelas then gave the Croatians the lead with another free throw a few seconds later. Croatia outscored the Czech side 21-12 in the third period to take
a 60-57 lead into the final period.
However, the final quarter belonged to the Czechs, which exploded on the offense with a barrage of shots from varying distances.
The Czech side regained the lead early in the period when they opened the period with a 7-0 run. They then went on another 9-0 to extend their lead to 62-73 with 5:57 left in the game. They continued to score points as Croatia
struggled to break their momentum, and failed on the offensive end as well.
Croatia were limited to only 10 points in the final period by the Czech Republic, who ran away to a comfortable 89-70 victory in the end.
Eva Viteckova scored 18 points on the night, while Jana Vesela added 12 points and 8 rebounds for the Czech side. Ana Lelas finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds for Croatia, but the rest of the roster failed to contribute as
Croatia were no match for the Czech offense.
The Czechs had a 26-9 advantage in assists, indicating that they made better plays which resulted in more points for them. Both teams shot well from the field. The win puts the Czech Republic in fourth place in Group A while Croatia
is in fifth place without a win after 3 games.
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