MADRID - France upset Spain 65-52 in front of its stunned fans in the quarter-finals of the Basketball World Cup on Wednesday. After dominating its first six games and blowing out France by 24 points in the group phase, Spain appeared to be the main candidate to dethrone the United States in a possible final that would have been a rematch of the past two Olympic gold-medal games. But France defended well and rebounded even better to ruin Spains quest for a title for a second straight summer. Last summer, Tony Parker helped France end Spains quest for a third consecutive European title. This time, Spain had several reasons to believe it would avenge that loss. Parker wasnt playing for France, and Spain had Pau Gasol back in its ranks, besides playing at home. "Its a painful and disappointing defeat," Pau said. "We had such high expectations and had played so well until now." Spain had averaged 88 points per game through its first six wins, all blowouts. But France cut off Spains passing lanes and forced it into solo efforts. Spains guards didnt adjust by looking for Pau and Marc Gasol in the post enough, and then compounded that by missing all but two of their 22 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. "Everyone thought we had won this before it started, but we didnt prepare well for the game and were trying to play catchup the entire way," Spain guard Juan Carlos Navarro said. "They prepared better than we did. We relied on doing what we always do, defend and get out on the break, but our shots didnt fall, and they played with a lot of poise." Boris Diaw scored 15 points and Thomas Heurtel added 13 for a France team which pulled in 50 rebounds to Spains 28. Pau had 17 for Spain, but his brother Marc and Serge Ibaka each went 1-of-7 from the field to combine for just five points. Serbia awaits France on Friday after it routed Brazil 84-56 in the other quarter-final. The U.S. plays Lithuania in the other semifinal in Barcelona on Thursday. Pau scored in the post to spark Spains 12-4 run to open the third period and edge ahead 40-39. A brief scuffle marred that span when Frances Florent Pietrus slapped Sergi Llull in the back of the head after an argument. Pietrus was awarded an unsporstmanlike technical foul. Spain entered the final period with a one-point lead but without any clear plan of attack. Diaw nailed a backbreaking three after France again beat Spain to the offensive boards to take a 51-45 lead and force Juan Orenga to call time-out with 6:41 left. A contested jumper by Pau brought Spain to within three points with under two to play, but Heurtel scored five points to quash the comeback and spark chants for Orengas resignation in a loss that hurt almost as much as the Spanish football teams early elimination from this summers World Cup. Pau left open the possibility that this was his last game for Spain, which he has led to one world championship in 2006, two Olympic silver medals, and two European titles. "You never know when your last game or tournament will be," the new Chicago Bull centre said. "I would like to play until I am 50, but I doubt it. We have great young players coming up and Im sure that we have a good team in the future." Whether or not Pau continues, Spain will likely not have such a chance to try and finally beat the U.S. with Pau now 34, and the Olympics two years away. Serbias result also reversed a group matchup, as Serbia lost to Brazil last Wednesday, when Spain also beat France. This time, Brazil and its trio of NBA centers in Varejao, Tiago Splitter and Nene were ineffective, as Serbia bettered the bigger Brazilians inside and out, and turned a five-point halftime advantage into a rout by outscoring Brazil 29-10 in the third period. Serbia was led by guard Milos Teodosic, who scored 23 points, hit three three-pointers, and made four assists. Shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 12 points, and centers Miroslav Raduljica and Nenad Krstic added 10 each. Varejao and Vieira had 12 points each for Brazil. Swell Bottle Sale Australia .S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. Swell Bottle Marble Green .com) - Jahlil Okafor erupted for 25 points and 20 rebounds as No. http://www.swellbottlesaleaustralia.com/. The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. Swell Teakwood Bottle . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266. Swell Lily Wood . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Chase Elliott will replace Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet when the four-time NASCAR champion gives up his seat at the end of this season.The announcement Thursday was expected because Elliott is the reigning Xfinity Series champion and one of NASCARs most promising young talents. Hendrick Motorsports had to find a seat for him at NASCARs top level or risk losing the 19-year-old to another organization in 2016.Gordon, who announced his plan last week to retire from full-time driving, told The Associated Press he believes Elliott is the perfect choice to replace him.Chase is extraordinary, Gordon told AP of Elliott, who is the youngest champion in the history of NASCARs second-tier series.Elliott will defend his Xfinity title his season with JR Motorsports. But Rick Hendrick will also prep him for his move into Gordons car by entering him in five Cup races, beginning at Martinsville in March. Hell also run at Richmond, in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Labor Day weekend event at Darlington.Elliott will drive the No. 25 Chevrolet with sponsorship from NAPA in this years limited Cup schedule.No sponsor was announced Thursday for his eventual Cup ride, but Elliott will be paired with Gordons current crew chief, Alan Gustafson, in 2016.Chase brings the kind of intangibles that make him the total package as a driver, Rick Hendrick said. Not only is he a special talent inside the race car, but theres a natural combination of competitiveness, work ethic and smarts that you rarely see.Confirmation that Elliott will replace one of NASCARs greatest drivers came the day before Elliotts father, Bill, is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, the Georgia native won the 1988 championship. He had 44 career Cup wins, including the 1985 Daytona 500.Now, the father and son duo will celebrate their accomplishments together in one week. Elliott will be feted by the industry Friday night during his induction, and his son cemented his future on Thursday.My parents especially have believed in me every step of the way, and I know this wouldnt be possible without all the sacrifices theyve made to focus on my racing career. This is such a big week for our family, Ellliott said.dddddddddddd I know how rare this opportunity is and will work as hard as I can to make everyone proud.Chase Elliott will take over one of the most coveted rides in NASCAR, a seat that has been occupied by the driver with the third-most Cup wins in history since 1992. He will also join one of the most vaunted lineups in the sport: Along with Gordon, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne put all four of Hendricks cars in the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship last season.Gordon made the strongest run at the title, falling just one point short of advancing to the championship round. He was eliminated roughly 24 hours after Elliott wrapped up the then-Nationwide Series championship.Gordon told AP there had been pressure on him from Hendrick to set a timeline on his future, not because Hendrick wanted him out of the car, but because the organization had to make long-term plans for Elliott. Between his aching back, and a desire to spend more time with his two young children, Gordon said Elliotts rapid progression was also part of his decision.That definitely has played a factor in the timing being right, because theres no doubt Rick has put pressure on me and had discussions with me, Gordon told AP. Rick noted, We dont have a driver that can fill the shoes and sponsors. He and I would go back and forth in these conversations, and we all kind of saw the timeline of Chase. As last season progressed and he was doing so well, it was obvious he was going to be ready for 2016.It didnt make my decision, but it helped me make my decision.Elliott had three wins last season in the Xfinity Series, and 26 top-10 finishes in 33 starts. He juggled the final semester of his senior year of high school with the first part of the season. He grabbed his first career victory at Texas in April — becoming the youngest winner in series history — then was back in school two days later.He followed it with a win at tricky Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, and both victories were celebrated back in Georgia with the ringing of the police siren atop the Dawsonville Pool Room. The siren is only used in cases of celebration and had not been sounded since 2003, when Bill Elliott won his final race at Rockingham Speedway. ' ' '