The Spanish selection The male continues taking steps to get to the Tokyo Games in the best possible shape. After winning with authority to Iran in their first two preparation friendlies, this Thursday the team of Sergio Scariolo has passed a much tougher test by beating (86-77) to France, one of the favorites to the podium at the next Olympic event.
Spain has also been able to verify that it is in the best possible hands, those of Ricky Rubio Y Sergio Rodriguez, who have led the team effectively and have assumed offensive responsibility in difficult moments. The base of the Minnesota
Timberwolves has scored 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter to take off the Spanish team and the Chacho He took over shortly after when the French team threatened to come back. The party has also featured outstanding performances by Alberto abalde, who continues to make numbers to enter among the final twelve, and of the brothers Gasoline.
The negative note has been the injury of Juancho Hernangómez, who had to retire in the second quarter after a collision in a blockade. The forward has no longer been able to return to the track as his shoulder has come off, which will make him undergo further tests today before traveling to France, where the selection will return this Saturday the visit to the selection of Vincent Collet in a meeting that will take place in Paris.
France, which had the casualties of Thomas heurtel Y Rudy gobert, has dominated the start of the game thanks to his great success in the triple. The Gauls have converted five shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter, which has allowed them to finish the first ten minutes ahead (21-24).
But to the one that has lowered its success from the perimeter the Gauls have been losing gas. Nando de Colo Y Evan fournier They created problems with their ability to shoot three or penetrate but the rest of the team was not their height and Spain, with a much more choral and regular game, has taken control of the game to no longer release it in all forty minutes. Eight points almost followed by Abalde They have given the lead (33-30) to the national team, which has reached the break six points up (44-38) after a 23-14 run.
France He has tried to regain command when he returned from the changing rooms (44-43) but has run into a sensational Ricky Rubio, that when seeing that the shots were not entering him, he began to force fouls and score one free throw after another. The success from the line has given him confidence and he has also started to score three, which has taken off the national team (61-51). The Catalan has scored 12 of his 16 points in this third period.
France, however, has threatened to return to the game with a partial 0-7 (61-58) but then Sergio Rodriguez has appeared to take over from Rubio. The Canarian guard has scored ten points almost in a row between the third and the last quarter to take off Spain (73-60) and allow him to live a quite placid last quarter despite the awakening of Poirier and the insistence of Of lap Y Fournier.
Data sheet
86 – Spain (21 + 23 + 21 + 21): Ricky (16), Rudy (11), Claver (5), Juancho Hernangómez (3), Marc Gasol (8) -the starting five-. Pau Gasol (7), Willy Hernangómez (6), Llull (5), Garuba (0) Sergio Rodríguez (14), Abalde (11), Brizuela (0), Oriola (0), Abrines (-), López-Aróstegui (-), Alocen (-)
77 – France (24 + 14 + 20 + 19) De Colo (17), Yabusele (7), Albicy (2), Fournier (20), Fall (4) -initial quintet-, Ntilikina (7), Luwawu-Cabarrot (9), Poirier (2), Cordinier (0), Cornelie (2), Lacombe (-).
Referees: Antonio Conde Ruiz, Yohan Rosso, Luis Miguel Castillo.
Incidents: friendly match in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, played at the José María Martín Carpena Pavilion in front of 2,600 spectators.