Gasol, Fernandez star in Spain win
Spain’s Pau Gasol scored 20 points and Rudy Fernandez added 17.
LONDON:
Spain’s Pau Gasol scored 20 points and Rudy Fernandez added 17 to spark unbeaten Spain to an 82-70 victory over Australia in the men’s basketball round-robin game. Gasol, who plays for the NBA Los Angeles Lakers, helped Spain top Group B alongside Russia with two wins. Australia took an early 19-14 lead before Spain answered with a 9-0 run for a 26-21 advantage on the way to a 37-32 half-time lead. The Spaniards, who beat the Aussies twice in pre-Olympic exhibitions, scored the first 10 points of the second half and kept the Boomers at bay the rest of the way. Joe Ingles and Brad Newley each scored 12 points for Australia while NBA San Antonio Spurs guard Patrick Mills added 11 in a losing cause.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2012.
Spain’s Pau Gasol scored 20 points and Rudy Fernandez added 17 to spark unbeaten Spain to an 82-70 victory over Australia in the men’s basketball round-robin game. Gasol, who plays for the NBA Los Angeles Lakers, helped Spain top Group B alongside Russia with two wins. Australia took an early 19-14 lead before Spain answered with a 9-0 run for a 26-21 advantage on the way to a 37-32 half-time lead. The Spaniards, who beat the Aussies twice in pre-Olympic exhibitions, scored the first 10 points of the second half and kept the Boomers at bay the rest of the way. Joe Ingles and Brad Newley each scored 12 points for Australia while NBA San Antonio Spurs guard Patrick Mills added 11 in a losing cause.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2012.