Spain, Rubio, Showcase Talent Against New Zealand at FIBA Worlds

Filed under: FIBA World Championship

It took the reigning world champions six quarters, but Spain finally hit on all cylinders in the second half of their second game at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Izmir on Sunday. Behind Ricky Rubio's 11 assists and on-court wizardry, Spain defeated New Zealand 101-84. Spain, who was upset by France on Saturday in the opening game of Group D play, played much better defense against New Zealand in the second half.



The first half of Sunday's game looked eerily similar to Saturday for the Spanish national team, however. They went into the locker room on Sunday only holding a four-point advantage against New Zealand. However, when the second half started, Spain quickly displayed their firepower and proved why they are considered to be one of the favorites at this summer's World Championships. Spain opened the second half on a 9-0 run and never looked back.



The Spaniards outscored New Zealand by 13 points in the second half and finally took advantage of the slower and undersized New Zealand team. There was no answer on the court for 7-foot-1 center Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies. The big man led all scorers in the game with 22 points and stayed out of foul trouble in his 26 minutes of play.



Spain's Jorge Garbajosa, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, hit all four three-point attempts in the game. Many of Garbajosa's three-point shots sparked runs for the Spanish team that ran away with the game after a brief scare in the first half.

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/08/29/spain-rubio-showcase-talent-against-new-zealand-at-fiba-worlds/