Luis Scola scored 17points, Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino had 16 each and Andres Nocioni added 12 as the Amazing Argentines made it to the semifinal round of the Olympic Basketball Tournament. Ginobili also grabbed 8 rebounds, Delfino had 7, Nocioni had 6 and Scola grabbed 4.
It was an exciting game as Brazil gave a very good accounting of themselves, clawing back from a 15point deficit to come with 4 with 2 minutes left. But the Argentines' experience and poise shone through as their defense on Brazilian stars Leandro Barbosa and Marcelinho Huertas proved to be the difference in the final 2 minutes.
The key to this game was how Argentina defused Nene, Varejao and Splitter. Despite the fact that these 3 7-footers were guarding and were being guarded by a 6-8 (Nocioni) and a 6-9 (Scola) player, they barely made their presence felt on either defense or offense. Nocioni camped out along the three point line to draw Varejao out, neutralizing the Brazilian's rebound grabbing skills while Scola got both Splitter and Nene into foul trouble with his moves to the basket.
Huertas, who scored 13 points in the first quarter and had 19 by the half, ended up with just 22 points after Prigioni and Ginobili tightened up on defense.
With the expected victory of Team USA over Australia, the semifinal match on Saturday promises to be a slam-bang affair, as the Argentines get a rematch with Team USA. In pool play, their match became a bit physical as Chris Paul punched Facundo Campazzo who retaliated by punching Carmelo Anthony. This will certainly play into the next match.
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