Scola scores 32 as Argentina pounds on Angola

KAYSERI, Turkey (AP) -- Luis Scola scored 32 points to help Argentina beat Angola 91-70 on Monday, essentially securing its place in the second round of the world championship.

Scola scored 17 of Argentina's 23 points in the first quarter as the South Americans built a three-point lead. The Houston Rockets power forward finished the first half with 21 points as Argentina (3-0) took a 45-32 lead into the break.

It was still a five-point game in Argentina's favor at the end of the third, but Carlos Delfino and Scola then took over to secure the South Americans' win. Delfino, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, finished with 22 points.

"We played smart when we had to play smart in the fourth quarter," Argentina coach Luis Hernandez said. "And we have the two NBA stars."

Joaquim Gomes had 16 points for Angola (1-2) and Olimpio Cipriano added 15.

Scola was coming off a 31-point performance in Argentina's 74-72 win over Australia. He also added eight rebounds against Angola.

"Angola is a serious team and we had to play hard," Scola said.

Argentina won its first two games by a combined six points and for three quarters the No. 1 team in FIBA world rankings could not break open the game. But the 27-11 fourth quarter sealed the victory.

"We had to play hard in the fourth quarter because it was a tough game," Hernandez said. "We are No. 1 because we take every game seriously and play hard as if it were a final.

"But we are getting older and we have to save our energy for the fourth quarter," Hernandez said.

Once Scola and Delfino returned to the floor in the fourth, Angola was outmuscled.

"We kept it close until the third," Angola coach Luis Magalhaes said. "But when they brought back their best players, we had no chance."