Croatia rout Spain to clinch the bronze in 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship
After a shock defeat to the Australians in the Semi-Finals of the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship, the mighty Croatians salvaged some pride by running riot over Spain with a 93-61 decision.
In a win which ensured a bronze medal for this mightily talented Croatian side, the charge was led by Mario Hezonja. The shooting guard shot 7 of 15 from the floor to score 23 points, hauled down 8 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and made 3 steals on the night.
He was assisted by Karlo Zganec and Paolo Marinelli, both of whom added 13 points. Domagoj Bosnjak and Tomislav Gabric also managed to score 11.
Spain were paced by Ilimane Diop who scored13 points and 11 from Agusti Sans. However, they just couldn’t match the shooting extravaganza of the Croatians, who converted 26 of their 57 shots from the floor, including 9 of 19 from the three point range.
The game was tight early on, but the Croatians slowly started to take control and were leading by 7 with 1:13 remaining in the first quarter. The Spaniards however scored the last three point of the frame, closing it at 11-15.
They were however in for a blowout in the second quarter,
The Croatians started off with a three pointer to make it a seven point game. The Spanish pulled within 5, 13-18, seconds later, but were then destroyed by a 14-2 burst that propelled the Croatians to a 32-15 lead.
Spain outscored their rivals 5-2 on the next few possessions, but were unable to built any sort of momentum and by the time the first half ended, were looking at a 20 point hole, 23-43.
The first half pretty much sealed the game in Croatia’s favour. They never allowed the Spaniards to come within 20 points, and led by as many as 27 on their way to a 66-44 lead after the third quarter.
The situation got from bad to worse for Spain in the final quarter. Despite the game virtually in their bag, the assault from the Croatians continued to be relentless. They outscored the Spaniards 27-17 in the final 10 minutes, winning the game with a massive 32 point advantage.
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