Canada collapsed in the fourth quarter against Spain, dropping to No. 3 in Group B. Gaucher has played consistently in the Olympics, averaging 6.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.
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Instead, Argentina have drawn the short straw and will face the daunting task of taking down a USA team riding a 22-game Olympic win streak in their quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal.
They beat the Americans again two years later in the semifinals of the Olympics before capturing gold, and reached No. 1 in the world. Scola went from 14 and 10 to seven and five. Subsequently, finishing up pool play with a win over Argentina would be hugely beneficial to them.
Meanwhile, Argentina enters this matchup nearly having to be a bit gassed after their double-overtime thriller against Brazil their last time out.
“I know the talent of course”, Brazil coach Ruben Magnano, who coached the Argentines to their Olympic gold, said through an interpreter.
Croatia beat Lithuania 90-81, which means that they won Group B, even though all 4 teams advancing out of that group were tied with 8 points. They’re just not accustomed to playing with one another.
Spain was considered a medal favorite after winning another European title last summer, but it’s a team in transition. Its reversal of fortune can be attributed to revived play by top player Pau Gasol and a supporting cast that has begun contributing alongside the four-time Olympian. Lithuania, on the other hand, had been an immovable force through the first game until they received a dose of reality check in the form of a 50-point loss to Spain 109-59 on Saturday. “That’s why they’ve been talking about this generation and all that stuff”.
“It’s a hard match-up (France) that we know well. Yes, we’re older, but we’re still a really good team”. “I think experience is huge and we’ve got a lot of it”. It’s probably going to be the last.
Spain gets the #2 spot in the group and a quarterfinals matchup with Turkey, the third place team in Group A, while third place Canada will play France, Group A’s second place team. In the 92-73 loss to Spain, Argentina shot 35.9 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc.
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France and Spain have meet in some pivotal games in big tournaments.
