Croatia beats Argentina at under-19 worlds

2009-07-04 11:53:00 -

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) - Center Mario Delas scored 27 points as 18th-ranked Croatia beat No. 1 Argentina 75-63 Saturday to finish its pool unbeaten and as top qualifier in its group at the FIBA under-19 world basketball championships.
The 6' 10» (208-centimeter) Delas made 10 of 12 field goals, both three-pointers and hauled down

eight rebounds in an outstanding individual effort which led Croatia to the upset of the tournament after three days.
Argentina raced to an 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, playing its favored running game, but Delas' effort and Croatia's height inside began to turn the game. Croatia outscored Argentina 21-6 in the second quarter, 29-20 in the third, and Argentina's fourth-quarter rally came too late.
Croatia's interior defense, principally from Delas, Tomislav Lubcic and Leon Radosevic, who shared seven blocks, limited Argentina to only 12 points in a 19-minute spell through the middle of the game.
Lubcic dominated the key with 12 points and nine rebounds while for Argentina, Matias Nocedal and Lisandro Rasio top-scored with 11 points.
The United States completed a sweep of its pool matches when it beat Egypt 112-55 earlier Saturday to progress comfortably to the second stage.
Ashton Gibbs scored 18 points, Shelvin Mack 14 and John Shurna had 13 points and six rebounds as the U.S, finished at the top of Group B, ahead of France, Egypt and Iran, in the four-group, 16-team tournament.
The U.S. led 33-11 after the first quarter and 62-24 at halftime. All 12 U.S. players saw court time in the second half and Egypt proved more competitive, holding its opponents to 24-17 in the third quarter and 26-14 in the last.
Saturday's win followed the United States' earlier 106-55 win over Iran and 71-55 over France.
Australia kept its unbeaten record and topped Group C with a 96-54 win over Syria.
Matthew Hodgson scored 17 points and Mitchell Young 14 for Australia which now faces Croatia, Argentina and Kazakhstan in the second round.
«(Syria) came out and played hard. They play a different style which was confusing for us at times,» Australian coach Marty Clark said. «Until the middle of the second quarter we got caught up in a bit of their style of game.
Spain later beat Canada 82-75 to seal second place in Australia's group with a 2-1 record.
Daniel Perez lifted Spain to victory with 29 points while Jorge Santana had 15 and Toni Vincens 14.
Spain led by 12 points after halftime time but Canada pulled within three as Mangisto Arop went on a 12-point scoring spree in four minutes around three-quarter time. Perez, who hit five three-pointers, helped Spain pull away.
Lithuania beat Greece 85-70 to finish at the top of Group A. In the tightest of the four groups, Lithuania, Puerto Rico and Greece all finished with 2-1 records and the top three placings were decided on points differential.
Kazakhstan beat New Zealand 90-83 to finish third in Group D behind Croatia and Argentina.