Gasol scores 19 to lead Spain past Lithuania 84-70 at European championship

Gasol leads Spain past Lithuania 84-70

LODZ, Poland — Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol scored 19 points and had eight rebounds Monday to lead world champion Spain over Lithuania 84-70 in the second round of the European basketball championship.

Trailing 24-15 at the start of the second quarter, Spain guard Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers hit a 3-pointer to spark a 25-3 run over the next seven minutes that put Spain ahead 40-27. The world champs continued to get out on the fast break, and led by 24 in the fourth quarter before pulling most of their starters.

“We played with a very good rhythm today,” Gasol said. “We raised our level of intensity and were able to run and play our game. That’s more the game that we’ve been so successful with.”

Spain has not played at the level that produced a silver medal at last year’s Beijing Olympics and the world title in 2006. The team lost its opening game to Serbia, then fell to Turkey in the first game of the second round.

Spain faces Poland in its final second-round game and is expected to reach the quarterfinals.

In other Group F games Monday, unbeaten Turkey plays Serbia, and host Poland takes on Slovenia. The top four teams in Group E and Group F advance to the quarterfinals.