Argentina vs France: Albiceleste won by 80-66 and will play in the final of the 2019 Basketball World Cup [PHOTOS].

Luis Scola scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Argentine basketball team to an 80-66 victory over France, securing their spot in the World Cup final where they will face Spain.

Veteran Scola made three three-pointers in four attempts and converted nine out of ten free throws to become the top scorer of the match. This win marks Argentina's first appearance in the World Cup final since 2002.

France, who had eliminated the United States in the previous round, struggled against the South American team. Frank Ntilikina was their top scorer with 16 points, while Louis Labeyrie contributed with eight more.

Argentina took an early advantage and closed the first quarter with a 21-18 lead. The "albiceleste" remained ahead at the end of the first half and extended their lead to 15 points in the third quarter.

Towards the end of the game, two consecutive three-pointers by Scola gave Argentina the confidence to secure the victory. They will now aim for their second world title, following their victory as hosts in 1950.

In Sunday's clash, the South Americans will face Spain, who defeated Australia 95-88 in the first match of the day.

In an exciting game that was decided in double overtime, Spain emerged victorious led by Marc Gasol, who scored 33 points, and Ricky Rubio, who contributed with 12 assists.

SOURCE: REUTERS

In a thrilling game, the Spanish basketball team defeated Australia after two overtimes (95-88) on Friday in Beijing, securing their place in the final of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will face the winner of the match between Argentina and France on Sunday.

Except for the early moments, Australia held the lead for most of the game, but Spain adjusted their defense in the final stretch and took advantage of Marc Gasol's offensive performance (33 points, 29 in the second half) to claim the victory. They will now compete for their second world title, after winning in Japan in 2006.

The Argentine team reached the semifinals after defeating Serbia 97-87, one of the favorites to win the world title. Captain Luis Scola has shown great performance, as well as Facundo Campazzo and Gabriel Deck.

On the other hand, France caused an upset by eliminating the United States, the reigning Olympic triple champion and double world champion. The Americans couldn't handle "Les Bleus" and lost 89-79.

"Since the beginning of the competition, we have said that we came here (to China) to win. We made a big mistake in the 2014 World Cup after the game against Spain (victory in the quarterfinals and a loss to Serbia in the semifinals). We don't want history to repeat itself," warned Evan Fournier, shooting guard for the Orlando Magic, speaking to AFP and looking to continue on the right path against the Argentinians.

But besides Fournier, the other star of the French team is Rudy Gobert, the center for the Utah Jazz. French coach Vincent Collet also commented on the game against Argentina: "Paradoxically, it may be a more complicated match than tonight's. We have to prepare the best we can and we have little time to do it," he said.

- Costa Rica - 6:00 a.m.
- El Salvador - 6:00 a.m.
- Guatemala - 6:00 a.m.
- Nicaragua - 6:00 a.m.
- Colombia - 7:00 a.m.
- Ecuador - 7:00 a.m.
- Panamá - 7:00 a.m.
- Perú - 7:00 a.m.
- United States - Chicago: 7:00 a.m. (New York +1, Washington +1, Florida +1, Nevada -2)
- Bolivia - 8:00 a.m.
- Chile - 8:00 a.m.
- Paraguay - 8:00 a.m.
- Venezuela - 8:00 a.m.
- Argentina - 9:00 a.m.
- Brazil - 9:00 a.m.
- Uruguay - 9:00 a.m.
- United Kingdom 2:00 p.m.
- Spain 3:00 p.m.
- Germany 3:00 p.m.
- France 3:00 p.m.
- Italy 3:00 p.m.
- China 9:00 p.m.

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