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BERLIN — For Spain, nearly all the names on the nationwide staff’s roster have modified in recent times.
The expectations did not. And neither did the outcomes.
Juancho Hernangomez scored 27 factors, his brother Willy Hernangomez added 14 and gained event MVP honors, and Spain topped France 88-76 on Sunday to win the EuroBasket gold medal.
It was Spain’s fourth European championship in its final six tries, all these golds coming underneath coach Sergio Scariolo.
Lorenzo Brown scored 14 factors and had 11 assists for Spain, whereas Jaime Fernandez scored 13.
Evan Fournier led France — which additionally dropped the gold-medal recreation on the Tokyo Olympics to the U.S. final summer season — with 23 factors, with Thomas Heurtel scored 16 and Guerschon Yabusele added 13.
Rudy Gobert was held to solely six factors on simply two pictures from the sphere for France.
“Spain performed higher from begin to end,” Fournier stated. “That they had a transparent recreation plan and we didn’t execute ours nicely sufficient. … We by no means actually had management of the sport. They only performed higher, man, interval.”
This was presupposed to be a rebuilding summer season for Spain. Pau and Marc Gasol, the longtime leaders of this system, retired from worldwide play following a quarterfinal loss to the U.S. on the Tokyo Video games. Sergio Gonzalez additionally determined final summer season was the fitting time to stroll away, after 16 years with the nationwide staff. Sergio Llull and Ricky Rubio, two extra of the staff’s veterans, could not play due to accidents.
The profitable custom merely continued anyway. Spain is now the reigning Basketball World Cup (gained in China in 2019) together with EuroBasket champion. It has additionally medaled in 10 of its final 11 EuroBasket appearances.
For France, it was one other medal — and one other occasion of developing a bit in need of the shiniest medal. France’s final main crown got here in profitable EuroBasket in 2013. Since then, the French have gained two bronzes on the World Cup (2014, 2019), a bronze at EuroBasket (2015), silver on the Tokyo Olympics, and now, silver once more.
The distinction was clear: Spain held a large 35-7 edge in factors off turnovers.
“At the moment, clearly, we’ve misplaced the gold,” France coach Vincent Collet stated. “They executed their plan good.”
Juancho Hernangomez was 6-for-6 from 3-point vary in a 6-minute span of the second quarter, serving to Spain prolong what was a 23-14 lead right into a 45-26 edge with nearly 3 minutes left within the half.
It was maybe a mildly unlikely supply for a 3-point barrage. He had made a complete of 12 3′s in his eight earlier video games on this yr’s EuroBasket event, and his excessive in any NBA recreation is six.
An 11-0 run helped France reduce what had been a 21-point deficit to simply 47-37 on the half — and the momentum carried into the third quarter.
Yabusele’s jumper with 6:52 left within the third bought France inside 49-46, and every thing appeared to be shifting.
However Spain held on. Juancho Hernangomez’s seventh 3-pointer with 7:29 left made it a 71-61 recreation, and the end result wasn’t doubtful once more.
BRONZE MEDAL
GERMANY 82, POLAND 69
Within the bronze-medal matchup earlier Sunday, Dennis Schroder scored 26 factors and host Germany held off Poland.
It was Germany’s first EuroBasket medal since profitable silver in 2005. Poland matched its finest end within the occasion since 1971.
“They advised me it is 17 years since Germany gained a medal,” Germany coach Gordie Herbert stated. “It is type of becoming that Dennis Schroder’s quantity is 17. It has been an unbelievable honor to teach these guys from Day 1.”
Johannes Voigtmann scored 14 for Germany.
“We labored arduous for it,” Schroder stated. “It is an unbelievable feeling to come back out third within the EuroBasket.”
Michal Sokolowski led Poland with 18 factors, with Jakub Garbacz scoring 12 and A.J. Slaughter ending with 10 factors and 10 assists.
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