Spain downs New Zealand 86-70
2006-08-19 17:17
Hiroshima - Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa scored 16 points each to lead Spain to an 86-70 victory over New Zealand at the Basketball World Championship on Saturday
The 2.16m Gasol took care of things on the inside for Spain, which finished fifth in the 2002 world championships.
Garbajosa had four three-pointers and Navarro, a guard, shook off a slow start by scoring seven points in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, when Spain took a 68-48 lead.
This was the first of three games New Zealand will play without starting point guard Mark Dickel, who is serving a 10-day Fiba suspension after a positive drug test last month.
New Zealand finished fourth in 2002. The team didn't get much out of its other starting guard, Kirk Penney, who had two fouls in the opening 34 seconds and didn't score in 1:52 of playing time in the first half.
He drew his third foul with 27 seconds left in the opening quarter.
A jump shot from Casey Frank with 4:29 left in the third quarter had New Zealand within 55-46, but Spain closed the period with a 13-2 run, including the final 10 points.
Penney finished with 15 points. Craig Bradshaw had 12 and Paul Henare, who started in place of Dickel, added 11.
Spain plays Panama on Sunday. New Zealand will face Germany.
- AP