Shooting with victory for Spain in the first step towards the World Cup
Scariolo tests his new faces, highlighted Yankuba Sima, in a procedure before North Macedonia
MADRID, 26 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s basketball team beat North Macedonia without problems (65-94) this Friday at the start of the qualifying phase for the 2023 World Cup, a test bench for Sergio Scariolo and a new call-up, with the victory well tied from the restart after the break.
The current champion sees her throne already at stake with a long road ahead for the next edition. In this first phase, Spain started with victory in Group G and will play the second day of this first FIBA ’window’ against Georgia on Monday in Jaén, a major rival for whom filming in Skopje came in handy.
Yankuba Sima debuted with 17 points and 7 rebounds in a new era for Spanish basketball after Pau and Marc Gasol. The BAXI Manresa player was one of the many local problems defending the interior. Spain slipped through the area when the triples did not enter the first half (1 of 8).
Scariolo’s team did not attack well but he dared little by little (7-15). The Macedonian team had more difficulty, supported by the performances of Damjan Robev, Adem Mekic and a well-known Jacob Wiley in the ACB. The need to rotate was the virtue of the new Spain, with talent to spare and the desire to claim a place.
Quino Colom was not in the spotlight this time, either Fran Guerra and Dani Díez to hold a good local end of the first half (30-41). After the break, Spain became serious not to leave the game in the air and returned with everything to solve the debut. Jaime Fernández took the reins and visitor income grew (32-50).
The triples arrived and Spain went to thirty ahead, under the supervision of a Scariolo who did not allow relaxation to make the team grow. Jaime Pradilla and Dani Pérez also debuted, with good triples, and the reigning champion showed that she has renewed hunger in a squad without NBA or Euroleague players. Against Georgia, which defeated Ukraine (88-83), the standings will go up a notch.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: MACEDONIA DEL NORTE, 65 – ESPAÑA, 94. (30-41, at halftime).
–EQUIPMENT.
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: Nikolov (7), Mekic (9), Robev (9), Krstevski (2) and Simic (18) –quinteto initials–; Stojanovski (4), Stajic (2), Efremovski (-), Maslinko (2), Nikolovski (2), Magdevski (-), Robev, Wiley (10).
SPAIN: Colom (2), Fernández (12), López-Aróstegui (15), Díez (8) and Guerra (5) –initial quintet–; Sastre (-), Brizuela (10), Pérez (8), Díaz (2), Parra (9), Pradilla (6), Sima (17).
–PARTIALS: 14-21, 16-20, 17-29, 18-24.
– REFEREES: Jasevicius, Deman and Beliakov. Simic removed.
–PABELLÓN: Jane Sandanski.