By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
After losing to Greece, the defending champions exploded against Finland (1-3) and got the easy 82-56 win, their first in the second round, which is one more step towards the quarterfinals. However, in order to secure its spot, Spain (2-2) still needs one more win in its last second round game against Italy (2-2).
Jose Calderon had 23 points and 5 assists in his best night yet in this year’s tournament and Victor Claver was the only other Spaniard who scored in double digits (12 p., 7 r.). On the other side, Petteri Koponen (17 p.) started the game hot, but he couldn’t keep up and after a close first quarter, with Spain leading by three (18-15), Finland yield to the champions.