Greek hoopsters are bettered by Spain in crucial game

Greece came up short for a second time at the basketball tournament of the Olympic Games on Tuesday, going down 84-77 to Spain in Lille, in a great European derby, a traditional battle between two of the continent's greatest basketball forces. The Greek hoopsters still have an outside chance to qualify though.

Just like in the first game of the pool, against Canada, Greece played catch-up against the Spanish who led for most of this crucial match.

Greece actually made a good start to the game, advancing by eight during the first quarter (20-12), but the Spanish reverted to a zone defense and bounced back to close the gap by the end of Q1 (22-21). 

They then produced an impressive performance in the second period during which the Greek defense was hardly present. The Spaniards scored at will (28 points in 10 minutes) to break away with a 14-point lead by half...