LONDON – Timofey Mozgov made the tiebreaking dunk with 18 seconds left and Vitaliy Fridzon scored 24 points as unbeaten Russia edged Spain 77-74 Saturday and take first place in Group B of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.

Russia now also avoids the United States – if the Americans win Group A as expected – until the gold-medal game if both teams advance in the medal round.

Fridzon, the hero of Russia’s victory over Brazil Thursday, made the clinching free throws with 4.8 seconds left after the Russians had charged back from an 18-point deficit. Anton Ponkrashov scored 14 points and Mozgov had 12 for the Russians, down 20-2 in the first quarter and still trailing by nine with under 4½ minutes left.

Tony Parker scored 22 points and Nicolas Batum added 19 as France beat Tunisia 73-69 Saturday for its third straight victory.

The United States, coming off a record-breaking win in its previous game, encountered a stiffer challenge against Lithuania Saturday but LeBron James made all the difference in a 99-94 victory.— AP