Already beaten in its first qualifying match last Thursday by Latvia (79-75), Ricky Rubio's Spain fell again against Belgium this evening (58-53).
In an ultra defensive match, including a messy copy of La Roja at 5/20 at 3-points and 16 lost balls, Ricky Rubio (4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 lost balls in 13 minutes) and Juancho Hernangomez (2 points, 4 rebounds in 18 minutes) had no impact.
Led by Pierre-Antoine Gillet (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Retin Obasohan (19 points), Belgium finished the match better. Trailing by 8 points 7 minutes from the end (42-48), Obasohan and his teammates finished strong, with a 16-5 including several clutch shots from Gillet from afar!
After two defeats to start its campaign, Spain is seriously complicating its task for the next November window. No more room for error for La Roja…
The world champion on the mat!
Another surprise of the evening: Germany, reigning world champion, fell in Botevgrad (67-62). Obviously far from its ideal squad, with the Barça player, Oscar Da Silva (15 points, 12 rebounds) in better evaluation, the Mannschaft flouted its basketball without any of its senior players, as illustrated by its 21 lost balls.
Opposite, Bulgaria reacted well after being put on the entry ropes at 19-4. In the second quarter, the Bulgarians inflicted a scathing 21-8. And it was the new local idol, Codi Miller-McIntyre (23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), who did the rest in the money time.
