Scariolo students do not reach the quarter-finals after suffering a painful 85-88, which Abrines was able to avoid with a three-point basket at the buzzer

MADRID, September 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Spanish basketball team lost this Sunday by a painful 85-88 against Canada, in group L, and was eliminated before the quarterfinals of the Men’s World Championship, which is played in the Philippines, Japan and in Indonesia.

Center Willy Hernangómez’s 25 points and striker Santi Aldama’s 20 goals failed to prevent defeat at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, where a triple from teammate Álex Abrines at the buzzer was about to complete the miracle to force the extension.

But the ball clung to this swaying of the ground observed throughout the match, with alternations in the electronics of a pavilion where some 12,500 spectators watched a duel to the death. The carom of results in this Group L meant that only the winner would get a ticket to the qualifying matches.

And that’s how it was interpreted by the two teams, whose hostilities began with a dunk from Willy Hernangómez for Spain. The first exchange of blows on the hoop kept anyone from coming unstuck, until two baskets from Willy himself and a few free throws from Víctor Claver down the middle made it 16-10.

On the Canadian side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was already starting to burn. But the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard was relatively controlled and his team’s counterattacks were muffled, so Sergio Scariolo’s men must have started paying attention to forward RJ Barrett’s excitement.

Capping off the defensive rebound well but missing some key offenses, Spain faltered in a first quarter where Canada’s comeback (16-10 to 18-21) was cut short by a three-pointer from Alberto Díaz at the 10th minute. of the stopwatch (21-21). Facing the next period, the Canarian Santi Aldama came into the picture, with a three-point basket that set the tone for his performance on both sides of the field.

The referees called Barrett the third personal foul in the 16th minute, with the score 33-33, and immediately teammate Dillon Brooks committed an unsportsmanlike foul. Two free throws for Willy were added to a triple from Abrines in the same action (38-33), prompting the rest of the Spanish squad to pull away and enjoy a 48-38 lead at halftime.

However, that inspiration disappeared in the locker room. Four fouls were amalgamated on Scariolo’s side in just one minute, along with two technical fouls which were also washed away by the goal error. Thus, a score of 4-18 allowed Jordi Fernández’s team to lead 52-55 (min. 26).

Spain made saves to dream again, courtesy of a vital hat-trick from full-back Rudy Fernández and taking advantage of Aldama’s talent from distance. Adding the flashes of Darío Brizuela and the great overall defense, the accumulated score of 21-6 placed Spain with their maximum advantage (73-61). The epic loomed on the horizon, but the gunpowder suddenly dried up.

In this sense, the 12-27 in the fourth period condemned the Spanish team, which mismanaged two of its last possessions. Canada wasted no gifts, netting free throws that stabbed their opponent’s aspirations. However, the very last possession could have been a game-changer, as Abrines almost rose from midfield to execute a three-point basket… which bounced and went wide.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: SPAIN, 85 – CANADA, 88 (48-38 at halftime).

–EQUIPMENT.

SPAIN: Núñez (4), Abrines (11), Claver (3), J.Hernangómez (4) and W.Hernangómez (25) –starting five–; Díaz (3), Aldama (20), Brizuela (8), Rudy Fernández (3), Garuba (4) and Llull (-).

CANADA: Gilgeous-Alexander (30), Brooks (22), Barrett (16), Olynyk (6) and Powell (6) –starting five– K.Alexander (-), Dort (3), Alexander-Walker (5), Bell-Haynes (-) and Ejim (-).

–PARTIALS: 21-21, 27-17, 25-23 and 12-27.

–REFEREES: Julio Anaya (PAN), Juan Fernández (ARG) and Andrés Bartel (URU). They eliminated RJ Barrett for personal fouls in Canada.

–HALL: Indonesia Arena, 12,493 spectators.