Sunday capped off an exciting week in Valencia, Spain, where six teams entered the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) but only one advanced to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris: host nation Spain narrowly outlasted the Bahamas in an instant classic of a game.
Santi Aldama, Willy Hernangomez, and the host team exchanged blows all game with Eric Gordon, Buddy Hield, DeAndre Ayton and the Bahamas, and the Spaniards ultimately prevailed 86-78.
Ayton gave it his all while trying to get the Bahamas into its first-ever Olympic tournament. The Blazers center capped off a strong FIBA qualifier week with a 17-point effort on 8-14 shooting, as well as 14 rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes. Bahamian sharpshooter Hield, Steph Curry's new teammate on the Warriors, led his squad with 19 points. Recently-signed 76er Gordon added 15 points.
But Spain had too many answers for the Bahamas, and home-court advantage played a part. The visiting squad never recovered from Spain's 25-17 second-quarter run, and Spain shooting 23-of-25 from the free-throw line didn't hurt.
Spain, Puerto Rico, Greece, and Brazil — the four winners of this week's OQTs — will now join the United States, Canada and the six other teams that had already qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The other OQTs were held in Puerto Rico, Greece, and Latvia.
Nobody much doubted Spain's ability to advance to the Final and win the Olympic bid. They were listed on most sportsbooks as much as 16.5-point favorites to beat Finland in the semis on Saturday and had strong moneyline odds against the Bahamas.
WATCH: Olympic Qualifying Tournaments on Courtside 1891
Where to watch Spain vs. Bahamas FIBA Olympic Qualifying game
- Highlights and recorded stream: Courtside 1891 on DAZN
International hoops fans who missed the game can go back and watch Spain vs. the Bahamas on Courtside 1891, the exclusive streaming platform for FIBA basketball.
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Spain roster for FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament
| No. | Player | Position |
| 2 | Lorenzo Brown | Guard |
| 4 | Jaime Pradilla | Center |
| 5 | Rudy Fernandez | Forward |
| 6 | Xabi Lopez-Arostegui | Forward |
| 7 | Santi Aldama | Forward |
| 8 | Dario Brizuela | Guard |
| 9 | Alberto Diaz | Guard |
| 10 | Juancho Hernangomez | Forward |
| 14 | Willy Hernangomez | Forward |
| 16 | Usman Garuba | Forward |
| 23 | Sergio Llull | Guard |
| 24 | Juan Nunez | Guard |
Spain might not have the experience it used to enjoy, but it still has plenty of firepower from top to bottom. Leading the charge has been Aldama, who entered the weekend averaging 20.5 points per game on over 60 percent shooting.
The host team plays tough and keeps the tempo up, and their length and strength make them very capable of second-chance opportunities. While not as stacked as usual, the Spaniards should be a tough out in the 2024 Olympics.