The group stage at the 2014 FIBA World Cup is now over after a hectic final day that saw three teams finish pool play undefeated. The United States, Spain and Greece each took care of business on Thursday, setting the stage for what should be an exciting finish in the single-elimination portion of the tournament.
2014 FIBA World Cup schedule: Up-to-the-minute results and playoff scenarios
The elimination stage is just one round of games away as the group phase comes to a close. We’ll be updating this page with results and different elimination-round scenarios.
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Here’s the full schedule for the final day of group play.
Group A
Brazil 128, Egypt 66: Brazil already had second place in Group B essentially clinched, but now it’s official. They’ll now avoid Spain until the semifinals. Egypt finishes winless.
France 81, Iran 76: Early on, it looked like the improbable might happen. Iran was up double digits, and a victory would have sent them through to the elimination round and knocked France out. But France finally got it together, outscoring Iran by 24 points over the second and third quarters and holding off a final Iran rally to win. France will finish third barring a Serbia upset of Span.
Spain 89, Serbia 73: The hosts advance to the knockout round undefeated and with the top seed in Group A behind 20 points from Pau Gasol. Spain now plays Gorgui Dieng and Senegal in its next game, while Sebria faces Greece.
Group B
Philippines 81, Senegal 79: Finally, a victory for the hard-luck Philippines, who suffered close losses in all four of their other games. Senegal will finish in fourth place and play Spain in the Round of 16.
Croatia 103, Puerto Rico 82: Croatia shockingly would have been eliminated with a loss, but avoided disaster in what was reportedly a must-win for coach Jasmin Repesa. They’ll finish second with a Greece victory and third with an Argentina one.
Greece 79, Argentina 71: Greece claimed the top seed in Group B by finishing its undefeated run through pool play with a sound victory over Argentina. That means Greece plays Serbia next and avoids the mighty Spanish team until the semifinals of the knockout round. Nick Calathes led the way for the Greeks with 18 points.
Group C
New Zealand 67, Finland 65: After blowing a lead against Turkey, New Zealand nearly did it again, squandering a 20-point lead to Finland. But two misses by Petteri Koponen in the final seconds allowed the Kiwis to hang on and put themselves in position to advance depending on other Group C results. Finland is eliminated at 1-4.
USA 95, Ukraine 71: Another early deficit for the Americans turned into a lopsided victory as Team USA finishes its run through Group C unbeaten. They’ll face Mexico in the Round of 16. They may have to do it without Kyrie Irving, who fell on his hip in the closing seconds.
Turkey 77, Dominican Republic 64: Turkey clinched second place in Group C behind 15 points from 27-year-old center Oğuz Savaş. Turkey now faces Australia in its next game while the Dominican Republic faces Slovenia after advancing on tiebreakers.
Group D
Angola 91, Australia 83: A monster 38-point performance from SMU big man Yanick Moreira led Angola to a controversial victory. Australia rested several key stars, raising allegations that it tried to lose on purpose to improve its elimination round seeding.
Mexico 87, Korea 71: Five players scored in double figures to lead Mexico to an easy victory that clinched a spot in the elimination round thanks to its head-to-head victory over Angola. The reward? Team USA. Good luck.
Lithuania 67, Slovenia 64: Slovenia had this one in the bag, but collapsed down the stretch, scoring just two points in the entire fourth quarter. The loss means Lithuania wins Group D and Australia finishes third. Their alleged tanking worked.
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