Spain settle for bronze as Slovenia run out Eurobasket 2017 winners
Slovenia beat Serbia 93-85 on Sunday night to claim their first ever medal in the contest
CHARLES DOWLES
Martes, 19 de septiembre 2017, 09:38
After a disappointing result in the EuroBasket semifinal against Slovenia on Thursday, Spain's only chance to redeem themselves was in their third-place playoff on Sunday night.
After losing to Serbia, Russia were the team to take on the Spaniards, and they did not make it easy for the men in white and red.
By the middle of the third quarter, Spain had pulled away into a sizeable lead of 17 points. But the Russian contingent fought back, bringing the scoreline all the way to 83-79, a mere four-point deficit.
Vitaly Fridzon had the chance to shorten the gap to just one point, but he missed his three-pointer, giving Spain the chance they needed to once again pull away from their opponents.
A farewell for Navarro
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The bronze medal marked the end of Juan Carlos Navarro's career in basketball. 16 years have passed since his international debut in Sydney, and he has claimed medals at all levels of the sport including two Olympic silvers.
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Although many will think Spain should have been in contention for the gold this year, Navarro still goes out on a high note with bronze, yet another accolade to add to his impressive repertoire.
Unlike Thursday night against Slovenia, the big names turned up for Spain on Sunday. Pau Gasol was excellent throughout, his brother Marc was forced off in the second quarter, but Pau's excellent 26-point performance, was enough to bring the bronze home for Spain. The game ended 93-85.
Spain can take some comfort in the fact that Slovenia, who beat them in the semifinal, actually went on to win the tournament, seeing off Serbia 93-85. The Slovenes were formidable throughout the competition, making them deserving winners.
