Pau Gasol scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead world champions Spain to a 85-63 win over Serbia in the final of the European basketball championship on Sunday.
The victory gives Spain a first ever European title after six runner-up finishes, and was extra sweet for Gasol, who had to settle for silver at the 2003 and 2007 editions of the tournament.
“It was a great game, and obviously we won the final that we lost twice before this year, so I’m extremely happy and it’s an unforgettable day for us,” Gasol said. “We just worked so hard to win this championship and I’m just super proud of my teammates.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Spaniards dominated from start to finish, playing pressure man-to-man defense, cleaning up on the boards and pushing the tempo for fast break baskets to earn a 15-point first quarter lead.
Serbia never recovered from the early onslaught.
“We lost the first half, and probably the game was finished,” Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic said. “The Spanish team was better and they deserved absolutely this title.”
Serbia, a surprise finalist, had the youngest team at the tournament with an average age of 22.4, and for the first time at the championship it showed against Spain.
“Maybe this final came a little bit early for this team,” Ivkovic said. “We don’t have this kind of experience, but we don’t have any reason to be disappointed.”
Earlier on Sunday, Greece slipped past Slovenia 57-56 to win the bronze medal.
In a hard-nosed defensive struggle, Greece used a 14-0 run in the first half to open a 10-point gap and hung on in the closing seconds to win the bronze two years after finishing fourth at the tournament.
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