TBILISI (Georgia) - Spain made just enough defensive plays at certain moments of the game to get the better of Turkey and clinch the top spot in Group A behind a 71-68 victory.

Alberto Diaz is the unsung hero of Spain. The guard, who has been playing stellar defense all tournament long, forced a turnover in Turkey's backcourt with 19 seconds left. Willy Hernangomez then knocked down two free throws which gave Spain the crucial lead of three points.

Turning point: Turkey made a 9-0 run at the beginning of the fourth to go up 59-56 but Spain instantly bounced back behind two buckets by Willy Hernangomez and a three-pointer from Xabi Lopez-Arostegui. 

With the score at 64-59 in favor of Spain, they were in the driver's seat before the four last minutes of the game.

TCL Player of the Game: Willy Hernangomez gets the honors for the second day in a row with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6-for-9 shooting from the field.

 
Stats don't lie: Turkey couldn't keep Spain off the glass as La Roja grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and won the overall rebounding battle 45-37.

Bottom line: Spain and Turkey now will try to prove its strength against Group B or as it's called - the Group of Death. It doesn't seem like it will be easy for either of them, but Spain get the benefit of advancing as group winners.

They said: 

"All players scored and everybody contributed. That's a matter of special pride for me. There were also many minutes when we had three millennials on the floor. That's good news for our future." - Spain coach Sergio Scariolo

"From the first back-to-back we learned that we have to start the game very focused as we did today. They are a very big team and were crashing the boards very hard. Our first game we were doing a bad job. Yesterday and today it was one of the keys." - Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Spain

"From what I've seen in Group B and from the games here, there are two very different levels. Over there it's like the NBA playoffs. The players here are trying to fight, but the quality of basketball is completely different in Group B." - Turkey coach Ergin Ataman

"It was a tight game. Small mistakes just made the difference. We made an easy mistake at the end. Now we look forward to the Round of 16." - Sertac Sanli, Turkey

 
FIBA