MADRID ( FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women ) - Brazil beat Fiji 125-45 to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Iziane led the way for the South American giants with 28 points while Jucimara Dantas had 22 and Karla 18. Paulo Bassul’s team will now take on Spain for Group C supremacy on Wednesday. If Brazil fail to beat the Spanish, they will take on Cuba in the last eight after Alberto Zabala’s team upset Belarus earlier in the day to clinch first place in Group D.
Brazil arrived in Madrid right on the heels of their title win at the South American Championship in Chile, but with plenty of concerns. Center Erika De Souza was expected to be with the team in Spain but an injury while playing in the WNBA for Atlanta ruled her out of the tournament. As a result, Kelly will get a lot more minutes at center. She had 15 points and eight rebounds. Brazil out-rebounded a much smaller Fiji 55-30 and they also shot well from long range, burying 11 of 23 (48%). FIBA
2008-06-11