Marc Gasol (R) of Spain shoots the ball during the group C match between Spain and Puerto Rico at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
GUANGZHOU, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- A 12-0 spurt in the third quarter gifted Spain a 73-63 victory over Puerto Rico in Group C of FIBA Basketball World Cup here on Monday.
With one game in hand, Spain reached the last 16 while Puerto Rico and Tunisia set a clash two days later to book the other place on offer from the group.
"They played a really tough game, aggressive and in high intensity. The first quarter is soft for us, but third quarter is solid," Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.
"In the first half, we have many open shots and we missed most of them. A little frustration but not enough to lose our composure," he added.
Marc Gasol had 19 points and Ricky Rubio contributed 17 for Spain. Gian Clavell scored 13 and Gary Browne had 11 for Puerto Rico.
"We reacted after the break, we stayed patient and not overreacted on missing shots," Gasol said.
Both sides enjoyed a winning start in their first games as Spain trounced Tunisia and Puerto Rico came back to beat Iran in the last seconds.
Despite Rubio chipped in eight points in the first quarter, David Huertas and Gary Browne combined to inspire Puerto Rico lead 21-17 into the second quarter.
Pierre Oriola stood out to score four points to help Spain level the scoreline which seesawed later on and Spain took the lead 36-35 in the first half.
Spain speeded up after the break, while Puerto Rico was trapped in turnovers. Gasol and Llull combined for a 12-0 run as Spain led 57-45 into the fourth quarter.
After Puerto Rico struggled to cut the deficit to 10 points with four minutes to go, both Gasol and Rubio were solid in and out of the paint, helping Spain keep the advantage and clinch the victory.
"We are getting better. Today we had ten guys scoring and liked a team. We will give everything we got in next game," Puerto Rico coach Eddie Casiano said.
