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30 August, 2014
14 September
Ricky RUBIO (Spain)
05/09/2014
News
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Spain look to up their play in Madrid

MADRID (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Taking each game at a time and maintaining the game's intensity seems to be the unanimous approach that both the players and coaching staff of the Spanish team are taking heading into the Round of 16 of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The host nation team beat Serbia 89-73 on Thursday to finish a perfect 5-0 in Group A and will take on Senegal in Madrid on Saturday.

Pau Gasol once again led the host nation in scoring with 20 points and Juan Carlos Navarro added 15 as they took top honours in Group A.

The reason for such an impressive record, Rudy Fernandez says came from "the level of intensity at both ends of the court."

Probably we will need to improve our game a little bit in order to make it to the Quarter-Finals - Fernandez

As Ricky Rubio explained after Thursday night's game, for now Spain "must focus on Senegal."

They faced the Africans in Gran Canarias during their preparations and won by a comprehensive margin.

Rubio insists that when they face Senegal again in Madrid "it is going to be a tough game, especially when (Gorgui) Dieng is playing at high level and they are very athletic and a good team."

Spain's head coach, Juan Antonio Orenga, dismissed comments of his country building a team to beat the US on their home soil.

"This team was not built for this year's World Cup," he said. 

"I have four players in this group born in 1980. All the others are younger and have been integrated into our basketball programmes along the years.

"No, I am not thinking about the US team, I am thinking about ourselves. I am thinking about my team. We are ready to play the next round.

"Senegal is a very athletic team. They had good and bad moments in Sevilla, and I am sure we'll face a better Senegal team."

FIBA