Spain powers past Australia

Published November 20, 2014

Pau Gasol scored 20 points and Rudy Fernandez added 17, leading Spain to an 82-70 victory over Australia in men's basketball.

Marc Gasol contributed 12 points and seven rebounds in the victory, Spain's second straight in Group B. The Spaniards opened play on Sunday with a 97-81 rout of China.

Joe Ingles and Brad Newley each scored 12 points for Australia, which fell to 0-2 in Group B.

The Aussies built a 19-14 lead after the first quarter, but a Pau Gasol three- point play two minutes into the second gave Spain the lead for good at 22-21. Gasol added a bucket a couple of minutes later to cap a 9-0 run for a 26-21 edge.

Ingles countered with back-to-back baskets to bring Australia within one, but Spain was able to take a 37-32 lead to the intermission and opened the second half with a 10-0 run. Pau Gasol scored the last five points of the burst, which gave the Spaniards a comfortable 47-32 advantage.

Fernandez drilled a pair of three-pointers and added a layup on a fast break late in the third to extend the margin to 24, and Spain carried a 63-42 lead into the fourth.

A late 10-0 run pulled Australia within 74-64 with just over two minutes to play, but that was as close as it got.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/spain-powers-past-australia