Basketball: Spain beat Russia in EuroBasket 2017

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - A dominant first half allowed Spain to prevail over Russia, 93-85, in the EuroBasket 2017's third-place match on Sunday in Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome.

Gasol brothers -- Marc and Pau -- were in form once again, helping Spain bag the bronze medal in the tournament.

Spain went up by 17 points, 45-28, after the first half, which proved to be an insurmountable lead over Russians.

Pau Gasol finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds; his little brother Marc helped him with 25 points.

Point Guard Sergio Rodriguez was also influential for his team; he scored 16 points and dished out 9 assists.

For Russia, point guard Alexey Shved's 18 points and center Timofey Mozgov's 14 points were not enough to beat Spain.

The EuroBasket 2017 ends tonight with gold medal match between Slovenia and Serbia, which will start at Sinan Erdem Dome at 9.30 p.m. local time (1830GMT).