At the 1978 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Joseph Lopez delivered a consistent tournament scoring performance, averaging 10.4 points across seven appearances in the preliminary and classification rounds. Records from the international tournament show that Lopez wore number 14 for Senegal during the global competition.
Preliminary and Classification Round Performances
During the preliminary round of the tournament, Lopez appeared in three matches. On October 2, 1978, against Yugoslavia, he played 16 minutes, converting 0 of 1 field goal attempts and grabbing 1 personal foul. The following day against Canada, Lopez logged 4 minutes on the court with 0 of 1 shooting and 3 personal fouls. On October 4, 1978, facing South Korea, he played 13 minutes, hitting 1 of 5 field goal attempts and committing 3 personal fouls.
Moving into the classification round, Lopez adjusted his output across four additional fixtures. Against the Dominican Republic on October 6, 1978, he played 4 minutes without registering a field goal attempt while drawing 1 personal foul. On October 10, 1978, against China, Lopez recorded a scoring stretch of the tournament by hitting 3 of 5 field goal attempts in 3 minutes of action, alongside 2 personal fouls.
Scoring Efficiency and Cumulative Statistics
Against Czechoslovakia on October 12, 1978, Lopez played 15 minutes, converting his sole field goal attempt at a 100 percent clip while collecting 1 personal foul. In his final appearance of the tournament on October 13, 1978, against Puerto Rico, he played 18 minutes and shot 2 of 3 from the field with 2 personal fouls.
Across the entire 1978 FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign, Lopez accumulated 73 total minutes played. Official tournament box scores document that he shot 7 of 16 overall from the field, resulting in a 43.8 percent conversion rate. His cumulative metrics underline a role yielding a total evaluation score of 64 across his seven matches.
Tournament Context for Senegal
The 1978 tournament placed Senegal against international competition across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Player contributions like those recorded by Lopez provided rotational minutes during a schedule of preliminary and classification fixtures.
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