Spain bounce back for direct Quarter-Final qualification

With the win, Spain clinched the top spot in Group B and, along with that, a direct spot in the Quarter-Finals.

Spain led throughout the entire first half, but the game was tightly contested as both teams carefully navigated through the defense of their oppositions with crisp ball movement. The three-point gap in advantage of the European squad at halftime was the smallest halftime margin ever between these two teams across their six clashes at the World Cup stage.

History was on Spain's side as they had won 11 of their last 13 World Cup games leading at halftime, though there was still some concern since their most recent loss in such conditions was just this past Saturday to Mali.

Awa Fam stood out in this game from the start, especially with her hustle. She already recorded 5 offensive rebounds by the halftime break - keeping crucial possessions alive for Spain time and again.

She also dropped seven unanswered points right out of the halftime break - setting the tempo for Spain to build their lead back up to double-digits. Fam ended the game with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Maria Conde's second three-pointer of the game in the fourth quarter kept what seemed like an oncoming Japan run at bay, allowing Spain to safely get into the finish line ahead on the scoreboard.

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Japan never backed down and were led once again by their young star, Kokoro Tanaka, who had 15 points in this game with 3 three-pointers.

The final dagger for Spain was TCL Player of the Game Iyana Martin's three-pointer with just under three minutes left in the game, giving Spain a 15 points lead. Martin finished the game with 20 points, becoming one of only three players to have scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games at the Women's World Cup in the 21st century.

FIBA