Spain Routs Australia for Second Olympic Basketball Win

Spain Routs Australia for Second Olympic Basketball Win
2012 London Summer Olympics

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London, England

Spain recovered from a slow start by scoring 49 points in the second and third quarters en route to an 82-70 victory over Australia in the men's Olympic basketball event.

The Australians grabbed a five-point lead as the Spaniards were limited to just 14 points after 10 minutes of play. Spain however came out firing in the second quarter, scoring 23 points against Australia's 13 to grab a 37-32 lead at the turn.

Then, the Spaniards poured their might in the third period, outscoring the Australians, 26-10, to pull away for their second win in as many games in Group B. Australia fell to 0-2.

Pau Gasol scored 20 points to pace Spain while his brother Marc Gasol contributed 12 markers for the Spaniards, who captured silver in the 2008 Beijing Games behind the United States.

Felipe Reyes grabbed 12 boards for the Spaniards, who completely outrebounded (56-39) and outassisted (21-14) the Australians.

"We got off to a slow start but we picked it up in the second and in the third we were able to break it open and open a big lead," said Pau Gasol, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.

"Against better teams, we'll have to start better, but we are a team that likes to build, we play better as the tournament gets longer," Gasol added.

The Spaniards are touted to be the toughest challenge this year for the US Dream Team as they have several NBA players in their lineup to match up against the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

Aside from the Gasol brothers, the Spaniards have Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Fernandez, who plays for the Denver Nuggets. The Spaniards are also missing point guard Ricky Rubio, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"They have a legitimate chance of knocking the United States," said Australia's American coach Brett Brown, who got 12 points apiece from Joe Ingles and Brad Newley and 11 markers from San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills.