Argentina prevail in opener over Cameroon

Argentina took control of the contest early on to secure a 75-64 win over Cameroon at the 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) Group B opener on Monday.

Both Gisela Vega and Melisa Gretter had 15 points apiece, Sthefany Thomas added 12, while Ramses Lonlack's game-high 25 points weren't good enough to avoid Cameroon's first defeat in the competition.

Turning Point: Four minutes into the game, Brittany Starling had Cameroon's first points as they trailed 7-4, but the 1.81m center got her second foul in the process, forcing head coach Stefano Bizzozi to bench her for the remainder of the first half.

Cameroon was never the same without Starling on the floor and went for break trailing 43-23.

Stats Don't Lie: While Starling and Lonlack, the only Cameroonians to score in double figures, combined for 37 points, five Argentinians scored at least 10 points or more.

Game Hero: Vega piled up 15 points, and shot 6-of-12, while not hesitating to put her body on the line. The 34-year-old showed tremendous grit to finish with nine rebounds, underlining who won the battle of the bigs.

The Bottom Line: Argentina stepped on the floor with a sense of desperation, battling it out for every ball possession to disrupt Cameroon's game plan. Cameroon rallied in the third quarter thanks to a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to 45-33.

Lonlack and Starling finished with more than half of Cameroon's 64 points. Argentina never trailed, led by as many as 20 points to become a deserving winner of the contest.