Spain vs. Senegal FIBA World Cup 2014: Game Grades, Analysis for La Roja, Lions
As Saturday's FIBA action came to a close, Spain pulled through in front of a home crowd to beat Senegal 89-56 in the opening round of the World Cup's knockout stage.
Universally recognized as one of the tournament's two best teams, Spain executed from the start and continued its dominance through 40 minutes of action. Headlined by brilliance from the interior crew, Spain attacked its opponents from all angles and on both ends of the floor.
Pau Gasol led the way with 17 points, while three other players contributed 11 points apiece.
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Despite the loss that will send the team packing, the Senegal crew put forth a strong effort, especially in the first half. Never backing down, Senegal found limited success through the play of Mouhammad Faye.
Even so, Spain—as expected—was simply too much to handle and gradually pulled away en route to a 33-point victory.
Player Grades for Senegal
Mouhammad Faye: B+
The silver lining for Senegal came in the form of Mouhammad Faye, who led the team in scoring with 12 points. He looked poised in his role as the team's offensive leader, doing whatever he could to keep his team within reach—not that he succeeded, but the effort was evident and noble.
He moved well without the ball in his hand and was efficient in his shooting, finishing the contest at 71 percent.
That he couldn't lead his team to victory isn't really a knock, as Senegal was virtually written off before the game began. Overall, Faye was a bright spot in an otherwise grim contest.
Hamady N'Diaye: B-
Against Spain, Hamady N'Diaye personified hustle. Fighting hard for every rebound, the Rutgers graduate held his own against a talented Spanish interior. Finishing with six points on 67 percent shooting, he was one of the team's top performers before Spain pulled away.
Of course, he could have made more of an impact. But with added pressure due to Gorgui Dieng's no-show, N'Diaye certainly could have done worse.
Gorgui Dieng: D
If Senegal was going to even put forth a challenge, it would have come on the shoulders of Dieng. One of the tournament's top performers throughout the group stage, he led Senegal, averaging 18 points prior to Saturday's game.
Unfortunately, a different incarnation of the Minnesota Timberwolves big man showed up against Spain.
Struggling out of the gate, Dieng failed to find his rhythm on offense. Connecting on just one of his nine shot attempts, Dieng scored six points.
It should be noted that his opposition was more talented than any of his former opponents, though the relative success of The Lions' other big men shows the true extent of Dieng's poor outing.
Abdou Badji: C
Things could have gone a lot better for Abdou Badji, who—despite 12 points—shot a meager 38 percent.
However, even with his inconsistent shooting, the Senegalese forward made a positive impact on his team. With hustle comparable to that of N'Diaye, Badji worked hard to provide his team with extra efforts on offense.
However, he simply couldn't get things rolling on the scoring front. A few more makes would have resulted in a very strong performance, but he missed too many opportunities on offense.
Rest of Team: C-
It wasn't pretty for Senegal.
But it won the rebounding battle and got every player on the team to score. That's worth something, right?
Player Grades for Spain
Pau Gasol: A
Pau Gasol was the tournament's standout performer through the group stage, and after another fantastic outing in the round of 16, that narrative will live on.
The elder Gasol led the way for La Roja with 17 points on 80 percent shooting.
Getting things started early, he looked far more energized than usual, connecting with Ricky Rubio for a handful of alley-oops in the game's opening quarter and setting the stage for the Spanish victory.
Ricky Rubio: B+
Rubio was one of Spain's top players as the team began to pull away early in the game, serving as both a facilitator on offense and a pest on defense.
Headlined by a handful of incredible lobs to Gasol, the Timberwolves point guard put forth a fantastic passing effort, finishing with six assists and a handful of other great passes on which his teammates simply could not convert.
Though he scored just seven points, he drove to the lane fiercely and sank three of his four attempts from the charity stripe after struggling to hit free throws in the group stage.
Marc Gasol: A-
Pau was the better of the two brothers, but Marc Gasol made his own impact on both ends of the floor.
He scored nine points on perfect 4-of 4 shooting including burying a dagger from deep. Effectively controlling the high post, he found his rhythm from mid-range and played a valuable role in the team's passing game.
Leading the way on the boards, he finished with a team-high six rebounds and added a defensive performance that kept Senegal struggling. He tallied a game-high plus/minus rating of plus-24.
Serge Ibaka: B+
Serge Ibaka played just 17 minutes but established himself as the team's top defensive presence.
Though he finished with just three blocks, opponents cowered away from him inside the paint as he put through a fantastic two-way effort despite falling into foul trouble.
He also tallied 11 points and tied Marc Gasol's team-high with six rebounds.
Rest of Team: B+
When a team wins by 33 points, it generally means that it did a pretty good job.
Though the aforementioned four led the way, the entire team contributed, with only Victor Claver finishing scoreless.
Jose Calderon came alive late from beyond the arc, connecting on three of his four attempts. Felipe Reyes pitched in 11 points of his own.
Shooting an incredible 75 percent from two-point range, Spain also won the assist battle 21-9. It was an all-around great effort from one of the tournament's top teams.
Coming Up Next
Spain will advance to the quarterfinals, where it will take on Nicolas Batum's French team in what should be a far more competitive contest.
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