RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Lara Sanders put on a scoring masterclass in leading Turkey to their first win at the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament by beating Japan, 76-62.

Sanders finished with 36 points to set a new single game high in this year's competition, just hours after Penny Taylor went for 31 points in Australia's win over France.

The Turks meant business right from the start as they finished the first quarter on top 24-9. They kept adding to their advantage in the second, taking their biggest lead at 38-13 on a Sanders basket with 3:04 left in the half.

Japan used a 12-0 run spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third to get within 38-25. They posed more of a threat after the break as they found their shooting touch and cut the deficit to 67-59 with 4:20 left to play thanks in part to a three-point barrage. But Turkey turned to Sanders who secured the win.   

Turning Point: Japan made three consecutive three-pointers to get within 64-54 but Sanders then converted a three-point play with 5:54 remaining. Kaede Kondo connected from beyond the arc and Yuka Mamiya scored inside to get the Asian champions within 8. Sanders then took matters into her own hands, scoring 8 of Turkey's last nine points to bring them home.   

Stats Don't Lie: Turkey went to the free-throw line 21 times, compared to only 3 such trips for Japan.

Hero: Who else but Sanders, who was unstoppable, hitting on 14 of her 18 attempts from the field and making good on 8 of 9 foul shots.

The Bottom Line: Turkey finally got that winning feeling - leaving Brazil as the only team in Group A without a win - but are fifth in the standings behind Belarus, whom they face on Thursday. The loss dropped Japan to 2-1 and sees them stand second in the table. They face undefeated Australia next.  

FIBA