Spain complete Group G sweep with win over Iran

JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Iran did not make it easy, but Spain eventually prevailed in their final Group G game at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

This 85-65 result gave Spain their 11th straight World Cup win dating back to the 2019 edition, matching their longest win streak that bridged the 2002 and 2006 tournaments.

The turning point​: Team Melli had a truly spirited start here, leading Spain, 15-6, by the mid-point of the first quarter. Spain, however, showed their class and composure, finishing the period with a 10-2 run. The defending World Cup champions outscored Iran, 27-17, in the second quarter to take full control of the contest.

TCL Player of the Game​: So much of Iran's defense was focused on slowing down Willy Hernangomez and Juan Nunez. This gave Juancho Hernangomez the opening to have his best game of the tournament yet with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in a splendid all-around effort.

Santi Aldama also impressed with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Iran were led by rising star Mohammad Amini's 19 points.

Stats don't lie​: Iran's guards did a lot of the heavy lifting for Team Melli, but they had no answer for Spain inside the paint. Coach Sergio Scariolo's squad handily won the rebounding battle, 43-31, and easily outscored Iran around the basket, 50-26. It's also worth noting that Spain assisted on 32 of their 35 field goals.

Bottom line​: Spain wrap up First Round play by sweeping Group G and advance to the Second Round together with Brazil - joining Latvia and unbeaten Canada in Group L as they can expect tougher tests to come.

Iran, meanwhile, drop into the Classification Round where they will face France and Lebanon with the chase for a spot at the Olympics still on.

They said: "This tournament so far was not what we were expecting. We knew we were playing a world champion. We put up a good fight, and I'm proud of my teammates" - Arsalan Kazemi, Iran

"Our team fought till the last second, but they punished every mistake. They kept the tempo high, and we tried to answer with our young guys. We got some good experience from this game, and we kept the system till the last second. I'm proud of the fight in these players." - Hakan Demir, Iran head coach

"We knew we needed the win to go to the next round and do it with confidence. I think we did a good job. We needed some time to play at the best level, but we did it in the end. We hit our goal, and we are thinking about the next game now." - Victor Claver, Spain

"We want to congratulate Victor for his birthday and for being a role model for our young players. We also congratulate Rudy Fernandez for being the player with the most presence in the history of our national team. I would advise our young players to look at these guys now at the end of their careers. They are still playing team basketball and helping their team to win. This is maybe the first game of my career when I didn't call a timeout because I wanted the players to figure it out. They need to be the ones to huddle and find a way. I think they did it." - Sergio Scariolo, Spain head coach

FIBA