FIBA World Cup 2014 Results: Scores, Updated Bracket and Day 10 Highlights
The second day of the quarterfinals at the 2014 FIBA World Cup of Basketball was tasked with living up to the expectations of an exciting start to the round, but the four teams in action Wednesday promised not to disappoint.
With a packed schedule that featured Serbia taking on Brazil and Spain squaring off against France, basketball fans have become enamored with this international tournament.
While Team USA was not in action on Day 10, the Americans must be sure to study the tape because one of the teams playing Wednesday will be the group of players they take on in the finals. Team USA must beat Lithuania first, though.
Here are the Day 10 scores and highlights. The full updated tournament bracket can be viewed at FIBA.com.
| Serbia | 84 | Brazil | 56 |
| France | 65 | Spain | 52 |
*Scores via FIBA.com.
Day 10 Results and Highlights
After watching Team USA and Lithuania advance to the semifinals on Tuesday, four more teams took to the courts in order to advance in the single-elimination format.
In the first game of the day, Serbia stunned Brazil by manhandling the team throughout the matchup, eventually winning 84-56.
Serbia was guided by the 23 points from Milos Teodosic and the 10 points from Miroslav Raduljica in the starting lineup, but the real story was the bench. Both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nenad Krstic racked up double-digit points despite not starting.
Despite having more star power, Brazil was outplayed in almost every facet of the game. While Anderson Varejao scored 12 points and added nine rebounds, only Marquinhos Vieira managed to score double-digit points in support.
Combined, Brazil’s starting five only scored 36 points.
In the other quarterfinals matchup on Wednesday, another rather surprising outcome came when France defeated Spain 65-52.
ESPN Stats & Info highlighted just how significant this triumph was for France—and how disappointing it was for Spain to peter out of the tournament:
Defense was the key for the French to come out on top, as they got Herculean efforts from their big men on the inside. Centers Joffrey Lauvergne and Rudy Gobert, selected in the second and first rounds of the 2013 NBA draft respectively, combined for 23 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.
The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre feels Gobert's outing bodes well for the Utah Jazz:
ESPN's Ethan Strauss favorably compared the young, rising stud to New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik:
NBA stars Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka combined for 2-of-14 shooting from the field, as Spain couldn't impose its will on the inside and didn't have the perimeter firepower to ultimately keep up. France won the final quarter with a 23-9 run after blowing a seven-point halftime lead in the third.
Spain didn't have anyone to match up with versatile San Antonio Spurs forward Boris Diaw. The man who had success against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals created defensive issues for the opposition on Wednesday, leading his side with 15 points and galvanizing the upset charge in the last quarter.
ESPN's Marc Stein weighed in on Diaw's recent stretch of greatness:
French guard Thomas Heurtel added 13 points of his own, as the only other member of his squad in double figures.
Pau Gasol led Spain with 17 points and eight rebounds, but lacked the physicality to deal with the likes of Lauvergne and especially Gobert. Check out this statistic from John Schuhmann of NBA.com:
HoopsHype's Jorge Sierra documented what Pau Gasol had to say after the game:
For the fans wondering when Team USA will be back in action, the Americans take on Lithuania on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. If the United States is victorious over a team it will be favorites to beat, it will advance to the finals.
With another day of entertaining quarterfinals action in the FIBA World Cup, all eyes have shifted to the semifinals and which two teams will square off with the championship on the line.
*Stats via FIBA.com.
