FIBA Day 5: Barea saves Puerto Rico; Spain, Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Lithuania, and Slovenia win
Puerto Rico 77, Philippines 73
Late-game heroics from Juan Barea pushed Puerto Rico past the Philippines in a down-to-the-wire thriller at the bottom of Group B.
Trailing by three with just over two minutes left, Barea hit a stone-cold deep three to tie the game, and converted a tough go-ahead layup through contact a minute later. Barea scored eight straight points in the final two minutes to give Puerto Rico a lead they would not relinquish.
Barea led all scorers with 30 points in the game and could not have found them at a more opportune time. Andray Blatche had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Philippines, who fell to 0-4 and officially lost any chance of advancing past the group stage.
Puerto Rico picks up their first win of the stage, but still find themselves in fifth place in Group B, in danger of not advancing.
Argentina 81, Senegal 46
One of the feel-good stories of the tournament, that saw Senegal improbably leading Group B, was halted abruptly on Wednesday afternoon, when the African nation ran into an inspired Argentina squad.
A smothering defensive effort from the Argentines saw them allow single-digit points to Senegal in the second and fourth quarters, while cruising to a 35-point blowout win.
Luis Scola led all scorers with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Senegal standout Gorgui Dieng was contained to the tune of 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Lithuania 79, Korea 49
Lithuania had little trouble dispatching Korea, thanks in large part to a third quarter that saw the South Koreans score only four points.
The Lithuanians were able to give all 12 players on their bench at least seven minutes of playing time en route to a 30-point rout, officially keeping Korea out of the round of 16.
Toronto Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and eight rebounds in just under 22 minutes of action.
Brazil 81, Serbia 73
A stifling fourth quarter was the difference, as Brazil pushed past Serbia to guarantee its spot in the next round of competition.
The Brazilians outscored Serbia 21-9 in the fourth, bouncing back from giving up 32 points in the third to improve to 3-1 on the tournament and solidify a spot in the round of 16.
Tiago Splitter did a little bit of everything from the high post for the Brazilians, posting 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in a winning cause.
Slovenia 93, Angola 87
Slovenia remained undefeated after a shootout win over Angola.
The two teams scored in heavy doses, both hitting more than 42 percent of the three-point attempts. Slovenia had 10 players score at least five points and play at least 11 minutes, showcasing as balanced an effort as the tournament has seen from a club that isn't the U.S.A.
Angola had a pair of players top 20 points, in guard Roberto Fortes and center Yanick Moreira, but they couldn't get stops down the stretch, as Slovenia rode a 28-point fourth quarter to victory.
The win improves Slovenia to 3-0 at the tournament.
Australia 70, Mexico 62
San Antonio Spurs big man Aron Baynes led Australia with 21 points and three blocks, pushing the Aussies to the top of Group D with a 3-1 record.
Aussie guard Joe Ingles, a day after being named a 'virtual lock' to make an NBA roster, was held scoreless and attempted only one shot, but chipped in with five assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Lottery pick Dante Exum played six minutes and did not attempt a shot from the field.
The loss drops Mexico to 1-3 and leaves them in fourth place in the group.
New Zealand 73, Ukraine 61
New Zealand continued a strong day for the Oceanic countries at the FIBA World Cup.
The Tall Blacks picked up their first victory of the tournament with a 12-point upset of Ukraine on the back of 17 points from guard Kirk Penney. Ukraine struggled to score in the contest, failing to register 20 points in any quarter.
The win pushes New Zealand into fourth in Group C for the time being, ahead of Turkey and Finland.
Iran 88, Egypt 73
Something had to give in this matchup of 0-3 teams in Group A, and when the dust settled, Iran walked away with a convincing win.
Center Hamed Haddadi continued to dominate the glass, pulling in 15 rebounds to go along with 23 points in the win.
The loss guarantees that Egypt will not be advancing past the group stage.
Greece 76, Croatia 65
Greece used a strong second quarter to stay perfect in Group B.
Kostas Papanikolaou and Kostas Kaimakoglou shared the team lead with 14 points, while Giannis Bourousis added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Greece outscored Croatia 20-9 in the second quarter and maintained the lead throughout the second half. Croatia falls to 2-2 and will need to defeat Puerto Rico on Thursday to advance out of the group stage.
Spain 88, France 64
Marc Gasol led the way with 17 points as Spain improved to 4-0 with a controlling victory over France.
Pau Gasol added 15 points and Juan Carlos Navarro had 14 for Spain, which outscored France in every quarter.
France falls to 2-2 and will need to defeat Iran to ensure a berth in the Round of 16.