RUS/KOR – Irina the great leads Russia past Korea

BEIJING (Olympics) – It wasn’t pretty, but Russia’s women beat Korea 77-72 for their second win at the Olympics.

The cat-quick Koreans hurt the Russians with their three-point shooting and dribble penetration on offense, while on defense they forced Igor Grudin’s team to turn the ball over 23 times.
 
But Grudin has Irina Osipova to go to when the going gets tough and it was no surprise that she was at the heart of Russian success when the game was decided.

Osipova had seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter and also came up with a key block 29 seconds from the end to help her team seal the victory.

Russia’s Maria Stepanova played just nine and a half minutes, finishing with six points and three rebounds.

“Maria Stepanova performed very well but didn’t spend a lot of time on the court as she was very tired, but she played well,” Grudin said.

“Osipova performed very well, too.”

With less than four minutes remaining, Russia fed Osipova with a pass and she scored down low to cut Korea’s advantage to 69-68 and on the next trip down the floor, the Spartak Moscow Region player made two free throws to put her team in front by one.

Lee Misun put Korea right back on top at 72-70 after being fouled on a reverse lay-up and converting the free throw with 2:47 to go.

After Tatiana Shchegoleva split a pair at the line, Shchegoleva grabbed the rebound from Hammon’s miss on the next trip down the floor and scored for a 73-72 Russia lead.

Korea’s Kim Kweryong missed two free throws and Hammon made a pair at the other end for a 75-72 Russia advantage.

Korean captain Jung Sunmin then had her lay-up attempt blocked by Osipova and Korstin made a pair of free throws to seal the win.

Shchegoleva and Korstin each had 13 points to lead the Russian scorers.

Marina Karpunina scored 12 points and Hammon 10.

Choi Younah spearheaded the Korean attack with 13 points and made a pair of three-pointers, including one for a 59-58 lead.

On that shot, she crossed half-court and buried the attempt as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.

“All their shooters pretty much have NBA range,” said Hammon, an excellent long-range shooter herself.

“You have to have a hand close to them, they can dribble penetrate. Their shooters can spread the floor so you have to just stay as close as possible. Defensively, it was a great team effort to try to contain them.”

Korea coach Jung Duk Hwa watched his team come from behind to force overtime and beat Brazil but wasn’t successful against the Russians.

“In the final minutes, and seconds, we didn’t grab the opportunity,” he said.

“We are fully prepared for this opportunity, though, and we are not afraid of these players who are taller and stronger.”

FIBA