Argentina bound for 2016 Olympics after beating Mexico in FIBA Americas semifinals

Argentina will be heading to its fourth consecutive Olympics next summer.

Facing Mexico - the host nation of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship - in the second of two semifinals games on Friday, the Argentines withstood solid outputs by a handful of opposing players to earn a 78-70 victory.

Mexico's captain - and former Atlanta Hawks forward - Gustavo Ayon pulled down 12 rebounds in the game. Leading all players in the tourney in this category with 11.7 boards per game (105 in total) heading into Friday's game, Ayon also chipped in with eight points, five assists and one block.

Milwaukee Bucks back-up guard Jorge Gutierrez contributed 17 points and four steals before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Francisco Cruz, Hector Hernandez and Juan Toscano combined for 41 points to buoy Mexico's balanced attack.

In spite of the Mexicans' valiant efforts, Luis Scola - Argentina's captain and the tournament's top scorer (21.9 PPG) - would not be denied.

He produced a double-double - 18 points and 10 rebounds - with two of his most important buckets coming with three seconds left in the game, as he was sent to the free throw line.

His two shots made from the charity stripe sealed the victory for his team, with the scoreboard confirming Argentina's victory at the final buzzer.

Another personal accomplishment for Scola - a new member of the Toronto Raptors - came by way of the win, as he became the all-time leading scorer in FIBA Americas history.

The loss is likely especially painful for Mexico - in addition to having homecourt advantage, they led their South American foes by as much as 11 points in the second quarter.

With more than 20,000 fans packed into Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes, the tournament's second- and third-ranked teams engaged in a head-to-head which would inevitably determine their respective fates for 2016.

As Argentina advances to the tournament's championship game on Saturday, they are assured a spot in next summer's Olympic Games which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Mexico - moving on to play Canada in the third-place game on Saturday - will face the tall task of competing for an Olympic berth via a qualifying tournament next July.