Spain has taken home the Eurobasket title after defeating Lithuania 80-63 in the final.
Pau Gasol, named the tournament MVP, paced Spain with 25 points and 12 rebounds as Spain claimed their third Eurobasket title in the last four tournaments, per Eurobasket’s official website.
Gasol’s dominant performance helped overcome the loss of pivotal guard Rudy Fernandez, who fell to the ground after a hard foul in the third quarter and did not return. Fernandez was seen clutching his hip as he exited the game.
In front of a record crowd of 27,372 in Pierre Mauroy Statium in Lille, France, Gasol set the tone for Spain early as they raced out to a 19-6 lead and never looked back.
"It was an incredible championship," Gasol said via ESPN. "We went through struggles early on but the team responded well, and with our backs to the wall, we understood that we had to play better defense."
The win capped off an impressive tournament for Spain, who were without stars Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Juan Carlos Navarro and Ricky Rubio. Spain also lost two of their first three games before finding their form.
Gasol, the 35-year-old Chicago Bulls center and winner of two championships while with the Los Angeles Lakers, said the victory was “something I will remember until the end of my life.”
For finishing in the top 2, Spain and Lithuania will automatically receive a bid to the 2016 Olympic games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Elsewhere, France defeated Serbia 81-68 in the third-place game to claim bronze.
Screenshot courtesy of FIBA's YouTube video