The semifinals in men’s basketball at Rio 2016 are set.
The United States will face Spain, while Australia will battle Serbia in the two pairings set for Friday.
Australia kicked off the quarterfinals by downing a shell-shocked Lithuanian side. Patty Mills led the way with 24 points for the Boomers in their lopsided 90-64 result.
Spain followed with a dominant 92-67 showing against its bitter rivals in France. The two countries have shared dominion over European basketball, but on Wednesday, La Roja simply outclassed Les Blues.
The loss prompted French point guard Tony Parker to announce his retirement from international competition.
More goodbyes were said after the United States drew curtains on Argentina’s Golden Generation. The aftermath of Team USA’s 105-78 victory saw Argentinian fans give a thundering ovation as they bid goodbye to Manu Ginobili and Andres Nocioni.
Finally, in the last match of the night, Serbia withstood a torrential comeback push from Croatia to secure a spot in the final four. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 18 points as part of Serbia’s 86-83 win.
