ANKARA
The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup favorites USA beat Turkey 98-77 in a Group C game that witnessed a highly contested first three quarters.
In the first half of Sunday night's game in the Spanish city of Bilbao, a tight showdown culminated in a five-point lead of Turkey over its mighty opponent: 40-35.
Team USA increased the tempo of the game in the third quarter, scoring 31 points and putting up a more physical play.
In the first minutes of the last quarter, USA raised the margin to double digits for the first time in the game. Losing control of the match after making critical turnovers in the final quarter, Turkey suffered their first defeat in the tournament: 98-77.
Small forward Cenk Akyol was the top scorer of the Turkish team with 12 points and four rebounds. Guards Sinan Guler and Emir Preldzic and center Oguz Savas scored 9 points each. Omer Asik, playing for NBA team New Orleans Pelicans, scored 6 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Results of the night are as follows:
Group A
Spain 91 Egypt 54
Brazil 79 Iran 50
Serbia 73 France 74
Group B
Philippines 70 Greece 82
Senegal 82 Puerto Rico 75
Argentina 85 Croatia 90
Group C
Turkey 77 USA 98
Finland 81 Ukraine 76
Dominican Republic 76 New Zealand 63
Group D
Lithuania 75 Angola 62
Slovenia 89 Mexico 68
Korea 55 Australia 89
Monday's program is as follows:
Group A
Iran v Serbia
France v Egypt
Brazil v Spain
Group B
Croatia v Senegal
Argentina v Philippines
Puerto Rico v Greece
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