Spain had to work hard but they finally put away Croatia 63-52 on Wednesday night to complete a perfect Group D campaign and reach the next phase of the EuroBasket with winning momentum.
Amaya Valdemoro had a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds for Spain, who will take on Italy in their first qualifying round game.
Spain coach Evaristo Perez has impressed upon his players the need to remain focused and play hard against Croatia even though the game has no implications on the Group D standings.
By beating Serbia on Tuesday, the Spanish clinched top spot while also condemning winless Croatia to fourth place.
For basketball fans in Croatia, the fact that the National Team made it to the 2007 EuroBasket is a success by itself. The result is even bigger when you realise that the best Croatian players like Vedrana Grgin-Fonseca or Koraljka Hlede said goodbye to the National Team a long time ago, even if Sonja Kireta is finally coming back.
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