Greece among winners in FIBA tournament play
Greece, hoping to qualify for a berth in the Beijing Olympic Games, took a big step in that direction by easily defeating Lebanon, 119-62, today in the FIBA qualifying tournament in Athens.
The Greek men now must beat Brazil Tuesday night to keep their hopes alive.
In the opening game today, New Zealand routed Cape Verde, 77-50.
That game was followed by what ended up as a real battle between Slovenia and a determined South Korea. The Koreans came within five points, 72-67, in the final minutes, but Slovenia managed to hold them off and won 88-76.
In the third game of the day, Marko Tomas exploded for 22 points as Croatia -- one of the favorites to claim a spot in the Olympics -- held off Cameroon, 93-79.
The other countries bidding for the three remaining berths are Brazil, Canada, Germany and Puerto Rico.
The Athens tournament ends Sunday. Nine nations have already qualified for the Summer Games (in alphabetical order): Angola, Argentina, Australia, China, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Spain and the United States.
--Debbie Goffa
Photo: Rodrigo Mascarenhas of Cape Verde tries to defend against Nick Horvath of New Zealand during today's game. Credit: Thanassis Stavrakis / Associated Press
