Spain beat a brave Belarus 63-56 and took third place in EuroBasket Women 2009 for the fourth time this decade, having already claimed the bronze in the 2001, 2003, and 2005 championships.

The game was defined by an early Spanish run that put Evaristo Pérez's squad ahead 27-8 in the second quarter.

Spain and Belarus face off today and the winners will receive the prize of a bronze medal draped around their necks.  Belarus will look to repeat their third place finish from 2007 against the reigning silver medallist.

It is a match-up between two of the top stories at EuroBasket 2009.  Spain are playing the tournament's most exciting basketball with their run-and-gun style while Belarus had one foot out of the competition before they made an incredible resurgence winning two do-or-die games to make the Qualification Round.

Maria Stepanova and defending champions Russia beat Spain in a big game once again on Friday to claim a spot in the final of the EuroBasket Women.

In a rematch of the title game two years ago in Italy, the Russians rolled to a 77-61 victory with Stepanova, the 2008 FIBA Europe Women's Player of the Year, scoring 19 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.