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FIBA World Cup Quarterfinals: France Blows By Host Spain With Big Finish

By Phil Watson

Team France poses for a group selfie (HoopsHabit refuses to acknowledge the term "ussie") after stunning host Spain Wednesday in Madrid. France advances to the semifinals for the first time since 1954 with the victory. (FIBA photo)
Team France poses for a group selfie (HoopsHabit refuses to acknowledge the term "ussie") after stunning host Spain Wednesday in Madrid. France advances to the semifinals for the first time since 1954 with the victory. (FIBA photo) /
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Host Spain entered the fourth quarter of their FIBA World Cup quarterfinal matchup with France Wednesday clinging to a 43-42 lead.

Ten minutes later, France was moving on and previously unbeaten Spain was out of its own event as France blitzed the hosts 23-9 over the final 10 minutes for a stunning 65-52 win in Madrid.

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It was the second rematch of the Wednesday quarterfinals and the second one where the team lost in the group stage avenged that defeat. Serbia pummeled Brazil earlier Wednesday 84-56 after losing to them 81-73 in group play.

France had to overcome more than that—Spain had pummeled the French 88-64 on Sept. 3.

With 8:25 to go in the game, Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls hit a jumper to put Spain back on to 45-44.

It was the last lead of the day for the Spaniards (6-1).

France (5-2) scored seven straight points, taking a 51-45 lead on Boris Diaw’s 3-pointer with 6:43 to go—a 7-0 run that was fueled by Evan Fournier of the Orlando Magic. Fournier scored the first four points, then set up Diaw’s 3-ball.

Gasol hit a jumper in the lane to get Spain back to within 55-52 with 2:03 to go.

But Spain wouldn’t score again. France scored the final eight points of the contest, with Thomas Heurtel sticking in the dagger with a 3-pointer at the 1:05 mark that put the French up 60-52.

France will play in the semifinals of the FIBA world event for the first time in 60 years—the French finished fourth in 1954 in Rio de Janeiro.

France had, however, come into the FIBA World Cup off a gold medal at EuroBasket 2013 in Ljublana, Slovenia.

Spain will fail to medal for the second straight world event—the Spanish were sixth in 2010 in Turkey after winning the world championship in Japan in 2006.

Diaw, from the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, led France with 15 points. Heurtel went for 13 points and four assists. Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz grabbed 13 rebounds while scoring five points and Antoine Diot finished with four assists, two steals and four points.

Gasol paced Spain with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots before fouling out. Juan Carlos Navarro added 10 points and Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves had three steals and four points.

Spain had shot well throughout the event, but went ice cold on Wednesday, hitting just 20-of-62 from the floor (32.3 percent) and only 2-of-22 from long range (9.1 percent).

France has a date with Serbia in the semifinals on Friday in Barcelona—an odd pairing considering they finished third and fourth in their group, respectively.