ARGENTINA

Argentina initiated a new era in Olympic basketball. From the very beginning, very consistently they took the hold of the game. Luis Scola of Tau Ceramica was the key factor with 25 points on 10 of 13 two-pointers and 11 rebounds. He scored 8 points in the final 3 minutes of the opening period, which gave his team a 23-16 lead after 10 minutes. Alejandro Montecchia of Pamesa Valencia scored 17 points, including three three-pointers in the final period. Guard Ginobili had 16 points. His three-point play with two free throws boosted Argentina's lead to 34-22. Center Wolkowyski, who replaced injured Oberto in the starting five, amassed 13 points for the Olympic champions. Argentina made its defense more strategic and made its opponents go scoreless in the final 4 minutes of Game 3. In the Game 4, Wolkowyski and Scola made Argentina recapture the lead at 60-54. Alejandro Montecchia simply changed the momentum of the game by setting a game-breaking 1-12 run in the final period and also..