MADRID
France upset host nation Spain, 65-52, in the 2014 Basketball World Cup quarterfinal game in Madrid on Wednesday night.
France played a more physical game than Spain, especially in the last quarter, when they outscored their opponents 23-9.
In addition, France grabbed a whopping 50 rebounds, against 28 for the Spaniards, who, to make matters worse for themselves, only made two 3-pointers out of 22 attempts.
French forward Boris Diaw scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Point guard Thomas Heurtel added 13, alongside 4 assists. But it was the two French centers' - Joffrey Lauvergne (4 points, 10 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (5 points, 13 rebounds) - presence under the basket that proved invaluable.
Spanish center Pau Gasol scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Barcelona's playmaker Juan Carlos Navarro added 10.
France will face Serbia in the semifinals on Friday at 2000GMT.
Results of the quarterfinals are as follows:
Lithuania - Turkey: 73-61
Slovenia - USA: 76-119
Serbia - Brazil: 84-56
France - Spain: 65-52
Fixtures of semifinals are as follows:
Thursday
USA vs. Lithuania at 1900GMT, Barcelona
Friday
France vs. Serbia at 2000GMT, Madrid
www.aa.com.tr/en
