Spain beats Lithuania 80-63 to take Eurobasket title

Baku. 21 September. REPORT.AZ/ Tournament MVP Pau Gasol had a double-double as Spain cruised past Lithuania 80-63 Sunday to regain the European basketball championship title, Report informs referring to foreign media.

Spain earned its third title in the last four tournaments after having to settle for bronze two years ago. For Lithuania, it was a second straight runner-up finish after losing the final against France in 2013.

''It was an incredible championship,'' Gasol said. ''We went through struggles early on but the team responded well and with our backs to the wall we understood that we had to play better defense.''

Earlier, France pulled away in the third quarter to beat Serbia 81-68 for the bronze medal.

With Spain's King Felipe VI and tennis star Rafael Nadal watching on, the final was a one-sided affair as the Spaniards opened a 13-point lead in the first quarter and were never really threatened. The king presented the medals to the Spanish players, who celebrated with their fans in the stands after the ceremony.