The United States overcame Ukraine 95-71 to stay unbeaten at the FIBA Mens Basketball World Cup in Spain. The USA, already assured of first place in Group C, got 17 points from James Harden and 14 from Stephen Curry. New Zealand edged Finland 67-65 in a thriller in Bilbao to clinch a spot in the Round of 16. On a wild last day of the Group Phase, Croatia throttled Puerto Rico 103-82 in Seville in Group B to progress and Mexico also advanced with an 87-71 triumph over Korea in Gran Canaria. Turkey and the Dominican Republic, who both gained spots in the Round of 16 with New Zealands victory, battled for second place in the nightcap and the former cruised to a 77-64 triumph. Oguz Savas led a balanced attack with 15 points for the winners. The Dominican Republic, New Zealand and Ukraine each had 2-3 records but the Dominicans and Tall Blacks finished third and fourth on tie-breakers, with Ukraine falling to fifth. The venue with most of the drama was the Bilbao Exhibition Center, where New Zealand opened up a 20-point advantage over Finland but then had to hold on for dear life at the end. Petteri Koponen, Finlands best player in the tournament, had a chance to tie the game at the death but his mid-range jump shot was short and the New Zealanders won. Isaac Fotu, 20, who has emerged as one of the competitions brightest stars, had 18 points to lead the Tall Blacks to their second victory. The Kiwis were then assured of their place in the next round. In Group A, Spain rolled to an 89-73 victory over Serbia with Pau Gasol pouring in 20 points. Brazil thrashed Egypt 128-65 to wrap up second place and France advanced in third place after a tough 81-76 victory over Iran. Serbia finished fourth in Group A and advanced too. Read more - fiba/news/spain-2014--tall-blacks-edge-thriller-to-advance-send-brave-finland-home After Thursday’s games, the Round of 16 fixtures are set. In Barcelona on Saturday, the USA will meet Mexico in a battle of the Americas in the first game and the Dominican Republic will square off against Slovenia in the second. The other bracket in Madrid has France meeting Croatia first and Spain going up against Senegal second. On Sunday, New Zealand meet Lithuania and Turkey go up against Australia in the late game, with both clashes in Barcelona. Madrid has Serbia meeting Greece in the opener and Brazil then taking on Argentina. FIBA
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 03:09:12 +0000
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