MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Former West Virginia University student-athletes Natalie Burton (Australia) and Yelena Leuchanka (Belarus) opened Group A basketball action on Saturday at the 2016 Summer Olympics held at the Youth Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Australia rallied from a 12-point deficit to pick up an 84-66 win over host country Brazil, while Belarus fell 77-73 in a close bout with Japan.
The Opals’ Liz Cambage paced the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the No. 2-ranked Opals to the comeback victory. Burton, who got into foul trouble early, registered a steal and an assist in 10 minutes of action. The 2012 WVU alum made the start in her debut Olympics appearance.
Picking up where she left off in the 2008 Summer Olympics, Leuchanka led Belarus with 15 points and nine rebounds in a setback loss to Japan. Belarus climbed back from an early deficit and took a lead in the second half, but 17 turnovers doomed the Red and Green in the loss. Leuchanka, a 2006 alum, made 6-of-7 from the field (86%) and finished a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the free throw line. She also deflected two shots and dished out two assists.
Group A action resumes on Sunday, Aug. 7, when Australia plays Turkey in a 4:30 p.m. ET contest. Belarus will follow with a contest against France at 6:45 p.m. ET. Both games are streamed live at
NBCOlympics.com. Group action will continue for the next week with each country playing five games. The top four teams in Group A and B will advance to the quarterfinal stage.
Sunday, Aug. 7 Schedule
4:30 p.m. ET (NBCOlympics.com) - Natalie Burton – Australia – Women’s Basketball vs. Turkey
6:45 p.m. ET (NBCOlympics.com) - Yelena Leuchanka – Belarus – Women’s Basketball vs. France
Group A Standings
Team Record Points
Australia 1-0 2
France 1-0 2
Japan 1-0 2
Belarus 0-1 0
Brazil 0-1 0
Turkey 0-1 0
