EUROBASKET 2011

Turning Point: Having scored only 35 points during the first half, Spain was close to invincible during the third quarter when they poured in 36 points and left Slovenia trailing in their wake.

Game Heroes: Juan Carlos Navarro poured in 17 points during a blistering third quarter and finished with a game high 26. Pau Gasol finished with a powerful double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds, although it wasn't his greatest shooting night.

Stats Don't Lie: Having scored 23 points during the first ten minutes of action, it took Slovenia 21 minutes to score their next 23 points.

Defending EuroBasket champions Spain shrugged off a stuttering start against Slovenia to power their way into the semi-finals.

After an error-strewn and unconvincing first half, they eventually began to shift through the gears to secure an 86-64 success.

They barely missed a beat after the break as they went into overdrive with their superior quality, depth and defence overwhelming Slovenia who imploded completely.

It was Juan Carlos Navarro who ignited Spain during a remarkable third quarter although Spanish joy was tempered by an injury to Jose Calderon.

It had all started so brightly for Slovenia, initially revelling in their underdog status during the early stages with their sense of freedom giving their fans much to cheer.

Especially when Erazem Lorbek and Jaka Lakovic both dropped three-balls ahead of Edo Muric blocking Pau Gasol and then moments later, dunking on his brother.

Sasa Osbolt finished the quarter with a three-pointer to put Slovenia 23-16 ahead with Spain's six turnovers handing them 12 of their points.

Spain reacted immediately with a 9-2 run levelling the scores as the momentum shifted. As Slovenia's offence began to misfire, Spain restricted them to just one score in seven minutes.

Although Matjaz Smodis finally broke the drought, Felipe Reyes came off the bench to give his team their first lead and it was Spain who still led 35-31 at half-time.

It wasn't long before it grew into a convincing double-digit lead when the teams returned to the floor. The Spanish continued their defensive lockdown but also put their foot on the pedal offensively.

After Rudy Fernandez drilled a three-pointer to put his team 44-31 in front, they never looked back as they tore Slovenia to shreds, stretching their lead to as many as 28 points.

The remainder of the game was little more than a procession for Spain, although the injury to Calderon and a loss of discipline arguably took the shine off their performance a little.