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Spain & France to meet again in WCup quarters

By WTOP Staff

JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rivals Spain and France will meet again in the quarterfinals of the Basketball World Cup after both won in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Pau Gasol scored 13 of his 17 points in the first quarter as host Spain routed Senegal 89-56 to remain unbeaten after having also dominated all five games of the group phase.

France, meanwhile, had to overcome an early deficit to eliminate Croatia 69-64, as Nicolas Batum scored 14 points and Evan Fournier had 13 for the European champion.

“Once again Spain, and once again it will be a fight,” France’s Mickael Gelabale said. “We have three days to prepare for this game. France and Spain is like a clasico game, and everybody is waiting for it.”

The neighboring countries have clashed in the past two summers, with Spain ousting France in the 2012 Olympics, and France getting revenge in last year’s European championship.

And just three days ago, Spain beat France 88-64 in the group phase. They will meet again on Wednesday in the Madrid.

On the other side of the bracket held in Barcelona, the United States and Slovenia advanced with wins and will play on Tuesday.

Stephen Curry hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points to help the U.S. ease to an 86-63 victory over Mexico, which was saved from greater defeat by Gustavo Ayon’s 25 points.

Klay Thompson added 15 points at the Palau Sant Jordi Pavilion as the Americans also remained unbeaten.

While Curry and Thompson hit from outside, Kenneth Faried and DeMarcus Cousins took turns playing well in the paint.

Faried provided bursts of energized play to a lethargic first half. The forward hustled for seven rebounds — he finished with eight — and eight points in the first half. Cousins then took over and scored 11 points in the second half.

“We’ve played better each and every game,” Curry said. “(We) have focused on some of the weaknesses that we showed early — not starting well, having a little lackadaisical first five minutes. We’ve definitely addressed that and gotten better.”

While the Americans’ victory was anything but surprising, Slovenia outlasted the Dominican Republic 71-61 in a thrilling contest of contrasting styles and scoring runs.

Zoran Dragic scored 18 points and brother Goran of the Phoenix Suns had 12 more for Slovenia’s ball-motion offense, while James Feldeine led the Dominican Republic’s running game with 18 points.

Down by seven points midway through the second period, Slovenia went on a 23-2 scoring run that stretched over halftime to move in front 42-28.

The Dominicans, however, took advantage of Slovenia center Miha Zupan’s leg injury to attack the basket and pull within two points. But Zoran blocked a shot and scored a pair of layups to restore a 10-point lead with under two minutes to go.

Spain had no such trouble with Senegal.

Pau took advantage of Senegal’s lax defense with four quick dunks before he rested for the first time with 1:41 left in the first quarter.

Pau led the team in scoring, and his brother Marc did most of the rest with four of Spain’s 12 blocked shots to go with nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

Serge Ibaka, Jose Calderon, and Felipe Reyes all chipped in with 11 points each off the bench after Spain got out early, allowing coach Juan Orenga to give more minutes to his reserves.

Forwards Mouhammad Faye and Abdou Badji scored 12 each for Senegal.

France rallied from an eight-point deficit in the first quarter to beat Croatia, which was paced by guard Bojan Bogdanovic’s 27 points.

Seven points by Fournier helped France edge ahead 23-22 by halftime, and Batum scored six consecutive points to open a 16-point lead late in the third period.

Bogdanovic shot Croatia back into contention with a 14-point burst in the final quarter. But the guard missed a contested 3-pointer with under a minute to play that would have given Croatia the lead.

On Sunday, Lithuania plays New Zealand and Turkey faces Australia in Barcelona, while Argentina plays Brazil and Greece takes on Serbia in Madrid.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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