Serbia continue to dominate at FIBA World Cup with commanding victory over Puerto Rico on day seven
There were also wins for Poland, Iran and Nigeria in the morning matches - with Spain against Italy the highlight of this afternoon's programme
Friday 6 September 2019 14:02, UK
Serbia put up 90 points or more for the fourth consecutive game at the FIBA World Cup as they dispatched Puerto Rico 90-47 on Friday.
Five players scored in double figures in Wuhan as the World and Olympic silver-medallists claimed victory in the Group J clash.
Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds and Boban Marjanovic added 16 points while the crown jewel in their impressive side, Nikola Jokic, posted a double-double 14 points and 10 rebounds in under 17 minutes on court.
David Huertas (11 points) was the only Puerto Rican player to score in double digits as his team dropped to 2-2 with a comprehensive defeat.
The one-sided nature of the encounter also meant the Serbs could use their depth with all 12 players clocking in for at least four minutes each.
Serbia has their toughest test so far when they face Spain on Monday, while Puerto Rico will play against Italy.
Poland 79-74 Russia
Poland came back from an 11-point deficit against Russia to earn a 79-74 victory and make it four wins out of four in China.
The Polish team went on a 26-17 run in the fourth quarter to seal the result, with Adam Waczynski top-scoring for them once again with 18 points and Mateusz Ponitka adding 14 points and nine rebounds.
Mikhail Kulagin notched a game-high 21 points for Russia, who now face elimination (2-2).
If Argentina defeats Venezuela later today, Poland will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Angola 62-71 Iran
A fourth-quarter charge from Iran helped them see off Angola 72-61 in the classification round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Friday.
National team veteran Nikkhah Bahrami knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 21 points for Iran in Beijing while Aaron Geramipoor also added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Carlos Morais led three players in double-figures for Angola with 17 points, while Valdecio Joaquim and Jose Antonio contributed 10 points.
The win boosts Iran's chance of finishing as the best Asian team and securing automatic qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Tunisia the next team they're set to face.
Nigeria 83-66 Ivory Coast
Nigeria paved the way for Olympic Games qualification with an 83-66 victory over Ivory Coast in 2019 FIBA World Cup Group M.
Nnamdi Vincent led the charge with 15 points, while Ekpe Udoh and new Orlando Magic recruit Al-Farouq Aminu put up 13 points for Nigeria who move 2-2 and stand a good chance of finishing as the best African team and booking the automatic ticket to Tokyo next year.
For the Ivory Coast, Deon Thompson scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in losing effort. "Our shot selection gave them the opportunity to jump out to a 10-point lead" he took out in the post-game press conference.
A 10-0 third-quarter run proved pivotal in securing the win for D'Tigers and next up for Alexander Nwora's side is a clash with hosts China.
Ivory Coast's final game is against South Korea, where they will aim to pick up their first win.
