Spain capped off an undefeated 8-0 run at the 2019 FIBA World Cup by beating Argentina 95-75 to win the gold medal.
Ricky Rubio led the way for the Spaniards, pouring in 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Rubio was named World Cup MVP for his efforts.
Marc Gasol stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. By winning gold, Gasol becomes the sixth player in history to win an NBA title and a gold medal (FIBA or Olympic) in the same year, joining Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Lamar Odom, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the exclusive club:
Rubio hug pic.twitter.com/fStMg4uE3a
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) September 15, 2019
Sergio Llull (15), Rudy Fernandez (11) and Juancho Hernangomez (11) all also scored in double figures for Spain. The Spaniards shot 47.7% and controlled the game from the opening tip, grabbing a 23-14 lead after one quarter and never looking back.
Meanwhile, Argentina's magic ran out. After dominating all tournament, Luis Scola struggled to the tune of eight points on a woeful 1-of-10 shooting effort. Point guard Facundo Campazzo and Nicolas Laprovittola also shot poorly, combining to go 6-of-26 from the field.
Gabriel Deck had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome all the other poor shooting performances. Argentina shot just 36.1% for the game.
This is Spain's second FIBA World Cup gold medal. They also won in 2006 when they blew out Greece.
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