(BEIJING, August 20) -- Spain became the first semifinalist of the Olympic Men's Basketball tournament by defeating Croatia 72-59 in their quarterfinal clash on August 20.

　　Ranked twentieth in the world, Croatia was not expected to bring too much trouble to reigning world champion Spain, even though the Croatians won their previous encounter with a last second 3-pointer.

　　The first quarter clearly showed why these two teams are on different levels. Spain started with a 12-1 run, thanks to nine points from Paul Gasol. They took the quarter 22-11, scoring eight of their 17 field goals, which included three 3-pointers. On the other side of the court, Croatia didn't score a single basket in six and a half minutes. Their offense was stagnant under huge pressure from Spain, as Croatian players only shot nine times, no more than three of which found the net. They also had six turnovers, five more than their opponents.

　　In the second quarter, Spain showed signs of complacency. Although they committed six turnovers in this quarter, they still managed to keep a lead at halftime, as the scoreboard read 37-26. Croatia shot seven times behind the arc, but only one of their attempts was successful.

　　Spain started the third quarter with 10-2 run after five minutes, almost killing any suspense in the match. However, their smugness affected the quality of their offense. After committing another five turnovers, they were pounded by Croatia with a 10-3 run. Still, at the end of this quarter, Spain managed to stay ahead, ending it 51-38.

　　With Paul Gasol back on the court in the last quarter, Spain eventually put the game beyond any doubt after a 12-3 run in four minutes. The final score was 72-59 in Spain's favor.

　　Gasol earned 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his team. Felipe Reyes added 13 points. Marko Banic did best for Croatia, contributing 15 points and five rebounds.

　　Spain will face either China or Lithuania in the semifinal on August 22.