Spain won the FIBA European Championship title after defeating France 98-85 in Lithuania.
Led by Juan Carlos Navarro, the Spaniards' starting five combined for 86 points to deny Tony Parker and the French team their first ever European title.
Navarro erupted for a game-high 27 points as Spain became the first country to win back-to-back European titles since Yugoslavia in 1997. The veteran guard responded with treys in the crucial stages when France threatened a comeback. Navarro was later named as the MVP of the tournament.
Jose Luis Calderon and Pau Gasol added 17 points each while Rudy Fernandez added 14. Gasol, who also grabbed 10 rebounds, joined Navarro in the All-Tournament Team along with Parker, Macedonia's Bo McCalebb and Russia's Andrei Kirilenko.
"We are very pleased, the team played a good game and we rose to the occasion because we knew we were playing in the final," Navarro said in an interview with Spanish media.
In the battle for the bronze, Russia defeated Macedonia 72-68. The two nations, along with fifth placer Lithuania, will see action in next year's World qualifying tournament.
2011 FIBA Europe Championship Final Standings
Gold: Spain
Silver: France
Bronze: Russia
4th Macedonia
5th Lithuania
6th Greece
7th Slovenia
8th Serbia
9th Germany
10th Finland
11th Turkey
12th Georgia
13th Bosnia and Herzegovina
14th Bulgaria
15th Great Britain
16th Israel
17th Ukraine
18th Poland
19th Croatia
20th Italy
21st Montenegro
22nd Latvia
23rd Belgium
24th Portugal
