Spain, the host nation of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, cruised past Senegal 89-56 in round 16 played at Palacio de Deportes, Madrid on Saturday night, drawing against France in the quarter finals.
Spain beat African opponents Senegal thanks to the efforts of their star players -- center Pau Gasol scoring 17 points and taking five rebounds, his brother Marc Gasol completing the clash with nine points and six rebounds, point guard Jose Calderon, power forward Felipe Reyes and Serge Ibaka each finishing the game with 11 points. Spanish playmaker Ricky Rubio made six assists in addition to having seven points and five rebounds.
Senegal tried to resist European giants Spain with their two power forwards, Mouhammad Faye and Abdou Badji who managed to score 12 points each. Badji also grabbed seven rebounds. Their individual efforts, however, were not enough to stop Spain who were dominant in their game yesterday.
Spain, who eliminated Senegal in round 16, will meet neighbors France in the quarter final game to be tipped off on Wednesday, September 10 in Madrid. Slovenia will play against the tournament's odds-on favorites, the U.S. in the quarter finals on Tuesday, September 9 in Barcelona.
Yesterday's results are as follows:
- Round 16
USA - Mexico: 86-63
France - Croatia: 69-64
Dominican Republic - Slovenia: 61-71
Spain - Senegal: 89-56
In addition to host nation Spain, Slovenia, U.S. and France succeeded in qualifying for the quarter finals while the rest of the teams will be revealed tonight.
Round 16's last four games will be played today, Sunday when Turkey encounters Australia in Barcelona.
Fixtures of today's games are as follows:
New Zealand v Lithuania at 16.00CET, Barcelona
Serbia v Greece at 18.00CET, Madrid
Turkey v Australia at 20.00CET, Barcelona
Brazil v Argentina at 22.00CET, Madrid
www.aa.com.tr/en/SPORTS
