Like the United States, Slovenia or even Canada, Spain will be at the rendezvous of the second phase. Reigning world and European champions, Sergio Scariolo’s players waited for the last quarter to make the difference, and win 96-78 against Brazil. It was the richness of the Spaniards’ squad that paid off over time, especially since the Brazilians were playing without Raul Neto, who was seriously injured in the first match.
A 15-3 at the start of the 4th quarter allowed the Spaniards to take a 17-point lead, and the defense of the world champions remained more than six minutes without conceding the slightest basket. Alongside Santi Aldama (15 pts) and Willy Hernangomez (14 pts), the young Juan Nunez was the most seen with 14 pts, 7 rebounds and 5 pds. Great news for Scariolo who is looking for solutions to compensate for the absence of Ricky Rubio.
If Spain already has its ticket for the second phase, where it will challenge Canada and Latvia, for Brazil, everything will be decided in a cleaver match against Ivory Coast, winner of Iran this afternoon. .
