Photo: FIBA

Spain, the reigning EuroBasket champions, silenced any doubts that had surfaced after their opening loss by delivering a convincing response.

They handled Bosnia and Herzegovina 88-67, proving they are very much alive and competitive at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

The victory gave the four-time continental kings their first win of the tournament, balancing their Group C record at 1-1. Bosnia and Herzegovina, meanwhile, also sit at 1-1 after two games.

Turning Point

The Spanish rhythm took shape in the second quarter. An 11-2 run gave them a 35-20 lead, widening the margin and taking control. By halftime, the cushion had grown to 18 points.

Then, as if to drive the dagger in, Spain opened the third quarter with four three-pointers in just four minutes, stretching the lead to 56-34. From there, as one Spanish player put it, “we never looked back.”

TCL Player of the Game

Santi Aldama was the undisputed spark for Spain. The NBA forward lit it up, connecting on 7 of 11 field goals, including 4 of 6 from deep, on his way to 19 points. He also collected 5 rebounds, committed no turnovers, and did all of it in only 19 minutes on the floor.

“After our first game we really weren’t ourselves,” Aldama admitted. “That is probably the hardest part, knowing you didn’t do what you can control. At the end of the day, if we play our basketball with the necessary discipline and energy, I think we are in a very good spot.”

Willy Hernangómez chipped in 16 points with his trademark efficiency around the rim, while Dario Brizuela added 15 points and 5 assists.

“We knew we needed to step up today,” Brizuela said afterward. “I think we did on defense and rebounding and we ran and shared the ball a lot. We are happy about it but we still have three games to win.”

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenan Kamenjaš led the team with 14 points, while star center Jusuf Nurkić was limited to just 10.

Stats Don’t Lie

Spain’s outside shooting was the great separator. They knocked down 15 three-pointers at a 39 percent clip, spreading the floor and making Bosnia chase all night.

At the same time, their defense smothered the Dragons’ perimeter game, holding them to just 3-of-21 from beyond the arc – a frigid 14 percent. That two-way dominance on the three-point line decided the contest.

Bottom Line

For Spain, the bounce-back win carried more than just relief – it brought momentum. Not only did they get back to .500, but the 21-point margin could also play a critical role later, offsetting their 14-point opening loss to Georgia in potential tie-breaker scenarios.

They next face Cyprus on Sunday, entering that matchup with restored confidence.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, meanwhile, face a daunting test of resilience. Their next opponent is Italy, the very team that toppled Georgia.

Coach Aziz Bekir reflected candidly: “We are not happy with the score and we are not happy with the way that we played. We are happy that we gave our maximum energy. But we didn’t play clever.”

They Said

Coach Sergio Scariolo summed up the performance: “We started with energy, with concentration, with intensity. We played several minutes of good basketball. We took 38 three-point shots, which is extremely important for us. And 25 assists was a huge number. And we had good team contribution.”

Bosnia’s players stressed the need to quickly turn the page.

Amar Alibegović put it bluntly: “With these games in competitions like this you can’t think about the past. You have to keep going. We have another Final tomorrow. We have to come back with a whole new face, a completely different version of ourselves if we want to compete.”

Aleksandar Lazić echoed the same urgency: “It was a tough game, a tough opponent. Spain is a really good team. We need to forget this game because we played bad. We just need to fix what we need to do better in the next game against Italy. That is an important game.”

Spain bounce back with first victory ✅https://t.co/NO3st4M9dv