Russia was beaten by neighboring Belarus 62-51 in the opening game of the women`s European Championships in Poland.
ґBelarus stopped Russia at last year`s World Championships, denying them a spot in the semifinals.
This time the Russians were one point ahead at the half, but a poorly played third quarter took them out of the game.
Belarus - led by Natalia Marchenko and Elena Levchenko, who collected 11 points each - began the final quarter with a 10-point advantage, and never let their opponents get any closer.
Maria Stepanova was Russia`s top scorer on the night, bagging 12 points.
It was the second loss in Poland for Boris Sokolvsky`s charges, who are now hoping to avenge their defeats against the Czech Republic on June 25.
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