ALICANTE (Spain) - In August 2023, Spain defeated Iran at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, and it seemed like they were off to another successful run at a major tournament.
Instead, it proved to be their last win for nearly a whole year. They went on to lose to Latvia and Canada at the same event, before falling to the hands of Latvia and Belgium in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, and also dropping a friendly game three days ago against Italy.
Different times, different competitions, different players, but ending any kind of slump always feels good. Coach Sergio Scariolo and his team have done so with an 84-74 win over the Dominican Republic on Friday.
The Story of the Game
Just moments before the tip-off, coach Scariolo gave his flash interview, emphasizing spreading the minutes among all his players and trying to keep the team fresh ahead of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia.
Another part of the plan was to avoid any kind of injury, since Alex Abrines suffered one and is questionable for the upcoming tournament.
Nobody played more than 23 minutes for Spain in this one, with everybody just continuing in the same rhythm throughout the game and eventually breaking the Dominican resistance early in the fourth quarter, reaching a double digit advantage for the first time.
The Dominican Republic refused to go away, but were still unable to come closer and force a dramatic finish.
The Player of the Game
Lorenzo Brown did not miss a beat on Friday, getting 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field in 17 minutes of action. He was the only Spanish player in double digits, and he also had a game-high 6 assists, running the offense exactly as coach Scariolo wants it.
The Stats of the Game
There was nothing between them in terms of field goal shooting, both teams knocking down 18 two-pointers and 11 three-pointers, but Spain's physicality brought them to the free throw line more often than their opponents.
They made 15-of-17 shots from the charity stripe, a gigantic number compared to 5-of-10 for the Dominican Republic from the same distance. Spain were +10 in free throws in a ten point game, the math is pretty simple there.
The Takeaways from the Game
Spain call themselves La Familia, and another member got to feel that familiar feeling on the floor next to national stars such as Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull. The 18-year-old Sergio de Larrea, who played most of the season in the Third Division in Spain, got his national team debut and finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in nine minutes.
Maybe this tournament comes too soon for him, but remember the name, he will be a part of this team for a long time.
The Dominican Republic can be proud of the way they competed. They have warmed up nicely for their FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece, and Chris Duarte is certainly a player to look out for, as he exploded for 27 points in this one, hitting six three-pointers.
Coach Che Garcia always comes up with surprises and knows how to upset the odds. Don't be surprised to see him create another glorious chapter in their national team history this summer.
FIBA