By JPOST.COM STAFFspain eurobasket 224.88(photo credit: AP)
Spain trounced the Israeli national basketball team with a score of 99:73 in the qualifying round group E match of the EuroBasket Championship in Madrid Tuesday night.
Pau Gasol scored 26 points for the Spanish national team, while Israel's Meir Tapiro, Lior Eliyahu and Matan Naor snagged 15.
The final score was deceptive as Israel actually led for a significant part of the game, only to fall behind by a sizeable margin in the fourth quarter.
Israel finished the European championships among the top 12 teams in Europe, but did not make it into the quarterfinals.
"The truth of the matter is that the outcome of the game depends on Spain and not on us," Israel coach Tzvika Sherf had said before the game. "I can't say that Spain is not a good team because then I'd either be a drunk or a liar and I'm neither. Spain is obviously the favorite as it has outstanding players in every position. The Spaniards are the favorites to win the entire championships."
Allon Sinai contributed to this report.
