By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
The favorite made one more step towards the final goal. Spain beat Senegal 89-56 as Pau Gasol once again was leading the charge with 17 points and Gorgui Dieng was completely shut down, finishing the game with just 6 points and 1/9 shots. The Africans tried to stay close, but the task was just too much for them.
After a relatively competitive first quarter (23-17), Spain got a double digits lead and nothing could change. Now the hosts will be tested by the European champions, France, in the quarterfinals.
Sergio Llull admitted that Senegal tried hard and has also a comment about France: “It was a game as we expected. We knew it was not going to look anything like the preparation game in Gran Canaria. France is a very hard and intense rival. They are a very talented team. We must play great in order to qualify to the semifinals”. Rudy Fernandez on the other hand, added “the game against France will be very different to all those we have played so far in this tournament”.