Spain emerged victorious over Japan to wrap up Olympic Tournament’s Day 2 as ‘Roja’ prevailed with an 88-77 win over the hosts.
The reigning Basketball World Cup champions used a 14-30 run in the second quarter to finish the first half with a 20-point lead (28-48). Spain never looked back from that point and cruised past to victory.
Ricky Rubio led the winning side by pairing a game-high 20 points with nine assists. Victor Claver added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Marc Gasol finished the game with 12 points and four assists.
As for Japan, who cut the deficit with a late run in the fourth quarter, Rui Hachimura led the team in scoring with 20. The Toronto Raptors’ swingman Yuta Watanabe followed with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Spain will face Argentina for the second game of the Group phase, while Japan is set to compete against Luka Doncic and Slovenia on Thursday.
