Spain blew Slovenia out of the gym in the quarterfinals of the European basketball Championship in Kaunas with a 86:64 rout, as the Slovenian team was a match to the reigning European champions only in the first half.
This was the fourth time in a row that Slovenia played in the quarterfinals of the Eurobasket, this time facing the runners-up from the 2010 World Basketball Championship, fielding six NBA players.
But Slovenia were not impressed by the Spaniards and took control of the match in the first quarter, earning a 14:6 lead midway through the period.
The Slovenians kept the lead until the end of period with surprisingly good defence. With Slovenia leading 23:16, guard Samo Udrih hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, but the basket was called off by the referees.
Spain needed five minutes in the second quarter to even the score (25:25) and then tightened the defence to turn the things around, taking a 35:31 lead to the break.
It took less than two minutes in the third period for Spain to take a double-digit lead, and the lead ballooned to 28 by the end of the quarter, extinguishing all hope for Slovenia for the semi-finals.
The final period was only a formality and Spain let Slovenia get a little bit closer while making sure that the win is completely out of Slovenia's hands. Slovenia actually won the meaningless quarter with 19:15.
Only two Slovenian players reached double figures in points, guard Goran Dragic (14) and centre Mirza Begic (10), while Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro led all scorers with 26 points and centre Pau Gasol chipped in 19.
Slovenia's coach Bozidar Maljkovic said that his team had had a very good opening by playing aggressive defence, making a lot of trouble for the Spaniards. "Unfortunately in the second quarter, when we could've built a comfortable margin, we made nine turnovers, which a team such as Spain knows how to punish."
Dragic also blamed the turnovers, adding that it was impossible to catch up with Spain after falling into a 20-point hole, "especially if you give so much room for Navarro to operate".
Captain Jaka Lakovic said that the beginning of the match was fantastic, giving the team a boost of self-confidence until the break. "In the second half, the shots started falling for the Spaniards, while we made mistakes, which such a good team is able to take advantage of".
Slovenia will now play the loser of today's quarterfinal match-up between hosts Lithuania and Macedonia in the 5-8 bracket. A win would secure Slovenia a spot in a qualifying tournament for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Source: Slovenia Times
