Turkey hold off Spain to move to 2-0 in Group B

HERAKLION (2015 FIBA U19 World Championship) - Turkey stood off a comeback attempt by Spain to improve to 2-0 in Group B with a 72-65 victory at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. 

Turning Point: Turkey led by double digits for much of the game before Spain trimmed the gap to 69-63 with two minutes left to play. But Ege Arar, who had earlier suffered a nasty gash to his head and was wearing a head bandage, converted a three-point play to push the momentum back to Turkey.

Stats Don't Lie: Turkey nailed 39 percent of their three-pointers while Spain hit just 23 percent of theirs. Turkey compiled 25 assists while out-scoring the Spaniards 36-26 in the paint and getting 38 points off the bench compared to 21 for Spain.

Game Hero: Arar had to exit the game with his face full of blood but ended up collecting 13 points to go with seven rebounds. 

The Bottom Line: A day after nearly wasting an immense lead against Argentina, Turkey did a good job staying focused and taking Spain's best punch. Spain dropped to 1-1 in Group B and will look to get back into the winning column before the knockout stage.

FIBA