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*The following also appears on FIBA.com.
AUS over LTU, 90-64
Australia cruised past Lithuania, 90-64, in Wednesday's first Quarter-Final of the Olympic Basketball Tournament to advance to the Semi-Finals for the first time in 16 years.
The Boomers last reached the Semi-Finals in 2000, when the Olympics took place on home turf in Sydney. They will take on the winners of the Quarter-Final between Croatia and Serbia.
Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova combined for 31 first-half points as Australia were in control right from the very start in a wire-to-wire victory.
Dellavedova knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 26-17 advantage to end the opening quarter and the Oceania champions headed to the locker room at halftime up 48-30.
Aron Baynes took over the scoring duties in the third quarter and the Boomers scored the last 11 points of the period to head into the final frame up 70-43, making the closing 10 minutes a mere formality.
Australia's starting backcourt of Mills and Dellevadova outscored Lithuania's one of Mantas Kalnietis and Renaldas Seibutis 31-8 over the first two quarters and that was pivotal in the way the game unfolded. With Australia comfortably ahead and in command, Dellevadova didn't score in the second half. Mills added to his tally, finishing with a game-high 24 points.
ESP over FRA, 92-67
Spain advanced to the Semi-Finals of the Olympic Basketball Tournament for the third time in a row after making light work of France in Wednesday's second Quarter-Final, beating them 92-67.
The European champions remain on course to match the runs they made all the way to the Gold Medal Game in Beijing in 2008 and in London four years ago. They will take on the winners of the Quarter-Final between the defending champions USA and Argentina in Friday's Semi-Finals.
The Spaniards jumped out to a 15-8 lead and did not trail the rest of the way as Les Bleus could not contain their offensive onslaught on one end of the court or match it at the other.
Spain forward Nikola Mirotic hit 4-of-6 three-pointers as part of a 16-point first-half performance. He scored his team's first seven points of the third quarter to extend the lead to 50-33 and that effectively put the game beyond France's reach.
Mirotic and Hernangomez seemed to score at will and France could not slow them down. Mirotic finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Hernangomez came off the bench and contributed 16 points in 17 minutes.
USA over ARG, 105-78
The USA progressed to the Semi-Finals of the Olympic Basketball Tournament after beating Argentina, 105-78, in Wednesday's third Quarter-Final at Carioca Arena 1.
The two-time defending champions will face Spain in Friday's Semi-Finals, in a re-match of the Gold Medal Games at the last two Olympics.
Argentina started well and had the game's first double-digit lead when Andres Nocioni hit a three-pointer for a 19-9 advantage just under six minutes into the game.
The USA came back and a 20-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second saw them turn a 21-16 deficit into a 36-21 lead. A spurt of 13 unanswered points gave them a 49-27 advantage, before Argentina scored the last nine points of the second quarter to get within 56-40 at the break.
Kevin Durant had a very efficient night, pouring in a game-high 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three-point range. He also added 7 rebounds and 6 assists. All of this in 28 minutes of play. Manu Ginobili, in his last game for Argentina, had 14 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds. Andres Nocioni, who announced after the game that he too was retiring from the national team, had 12 points and 5 rebounds.
SRB over CRO, 86-83
Serbia defeated Croatia, 86-83, in the last Quarter-Final of the Olympic Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night to set up a Semi-Final clash with Australia.
In the closest game of the day, the Serbs saw a 14-point third quarter lead melt away in the final frame as the Croats got within one several times down the stretch. But with time running out on them, Serbia had to foul to stop the clock and Milos Teodosic and Nikola Jokic made good on their trips to the free-throw line in the final 18 seconds.
There was little to separate the two teams in the first half, with Serbia up 20-19 at the end of the opening period and Croatia taking a 38-32 advantage at the break.
Sasha Djordevic's side got a bit of breathing room when Miroslav Raduljica made the second of two foul shots to make it 79-75 with 27 seconds and that forced Croatia in having to foul intentionally to stop the clock but ultimately running out of time.
Serbia got 39 points from their reserves, compared to 26 for Croatia. Bogdanovic (game-high 18 points before fouling out), Stefan Jovic (9 points and 4 rebounds) and Milan Macvan (8 points and 3 rebounds) each played key roles in the outcome of this game.
All images are from FIBA.
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