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    FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: Dorsey fuels Greece to spectacular OT win over Spain; Shengelia puts on “Superman” display

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    By on FIBA World Cup, News
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    Teams from Groups I and J played the second round games of the Second phase of the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers on Monday, with six games played across the two groups.

    In Group I, Greece defeated Spain in a group derby after an overtime thriller, Georgia celebrated an away win against Portugal, while Ukraine also continued its strong performances with a victory over Montenegro.

    Group J also saw three games played, as Turkey dominated Iceland, depleted Lithuania edged past Bosnia and Herzegovina, while one of the group’s derbies went to Serbia, who defeated Italy.

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    DERBY OF THE DAY: Dorsey and Mitoglou lead Greece past Spain after OT

    Following a surprising defeat to Ukraine in the previous round, Greece finally managed to end their dry spell in thrilling fashion, defeating Spain 108-106 after overtime.

    Greece entered this window without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Sloukas, a void that was clearly felt in their previous match. This time, however, others stepped up to compensate for their absence with masterclass performances.

    Still, it was far from smooth sailing for Vassilis Spanoulis‘ team. Despite holding an 11-point lead with 5:43 remaining in regulation, they let the advantage slip away, allowing Juancho Hernangomez to send the game into overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Nevertheless, Tyler Dorsey and Dinos Mitoglou refused to let another collapse happen, while Nick Calathes came up with a fantastic defensive play on Dario Brizuela on the final possession to keep Greece alive in the race for FIBA World Cup qualification.

    Tyler Dorsey and Dinos Mitoglou led all scorers with 29 points each, while Nick Calathes added 13 points and eight assists. Joel Parra with 18 points, Mario Saint-Supery with 16, and Aday Mara with 15 points and 13 rebounds stood out for Chus Mateo’s side.

    With this victory, Greece improved to a 4-4 record and remained firmly in the hunt for a FIBA World Cup berth. Meanwhile, Spain remains atop the standings despite dropping two consecutive games—first against Portugal, and now against Greece.

    MVP PERFORMANCE: Tornike Shengelia’s “Superman” display

    Tornike Shengelia once again proved how crucial he is to the Georgian national team with an outstanding performance in a 98-90 victory over Portugal.

    Following their victory over Montenegro, Georgia defeated another direct rival in the race for the three qualification spots leading to the FIBA World Cup.

    In football terms, this was a classic “six-pointer,” and Aleksandar Dzikic’s team owes much of this triumph to Tornike Shengelia.

    His team needed him to push himself to the limit, and he played all 40 minutes of the game, recording 26 points (4/8 from three-point range), six rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

    He did practically everything on the floor, time and time again, helping them erase an early double-digit deficit and turn the game in their favor.

    Beside Shengelia, Sandro Mamukelashvili stood out for Georgia with 22 points, alongside Rati Andronikashvili, who added 20 points. On the losing side, Neemias Queta was the most notable performer for Portugal, posting 20 points and 11 rebounds.

    IMPORTANT WINS: Serbia snaps losing streak against Italy, Ukraine keeps rolling

    Serbia defeated Italy 76-64 in one of Group J’s premier matchups in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, even with Nikola Jokic turning in a subpar performance by his standards. Serbia thus snapped a three-game losing streak against Italy.

    Both national teams came into the round tied with 5-2 records, making a victory crucial given the surrounding group results. In the end, Dusan Alimpijevic’s side came out on top, even though they were depleted by some injuries.

    Aleksa Avramovic and Marko Guduric played pivotal roles in Serbia’s triumph, delivering stellar two-way performances to make up for the off night from Jokic, whom Alimpijevic later revealed had played through an illness.

    Avramovic finished the game with 20 points, while Guduric added 19. On the other side, Nico Mannion led Italy with a team-high 23 points.

    Ukraine continues to put on impressive performances, and qualifying for the FIBA World Cup would come as no surprise at all, given they now sit atop Group I following a 98-89 victory over Montenegro.

    Just as in previous games, Svi Mykhailiuk was the primary architect of Ukraine’s triumph, posting 23 points and six rebounds, while Oleksandr Kovliar added 15 points and five assists.

    On the Montenegrin side, for whom this marked a second consecutive qualifier defeat, Yogi Ferrell led the way with a team-high 22 points.

    OTHER MATCHES: Turkey dominates Iceland, Lithuania’s hopes still alive

    Despite trailing for most of the contest, Lithuania managed to pull of a comeback on home floor and defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina who had their own set of problems 78-73, keeping their FIBA World Cup qualification hopes alive.

    Lithuania entered this window without a long list of key players, including Domantas Sabonis, Matas Buzelis, Kasparas Jakucionis and Jonas Valanciunas, while several EuroLeague players and regular national team members were also unavailable.

    Lithuania head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis managed to find the winning formula, suffocating the opponent’s attempts in key moments with solid defense to secure the victory.

    Even though they shot a dismal 4-of-28 from three-point range, they pulled through in the end to rejoin the battle for the top three spots leading to the FIBA World Cup, while severely denting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s chances for that same achievement.

    Azuolas Tubelis led the hosts with 23 points, while Augustas Marciulionis added 16 points. On the other side, the NBA duo led the charge for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Jusuf Nurkic scoring 20 points and Luka Garza adding 14.

    After blowing out Lithuania in the previous round, Turkey kept the momentum going against Iceland, dominating them 110-73.

    Turkey head coach Ergin Ataman could not count on Alperen Sengun and Tarik Biberovic for this window of qualifiers, while Ercan Osmani got injured in their previous game,  but that was hardly felt on the floor for the “12 Giants.” They comfortably recorded another victory, virtually guaranteeing their spot at the FIBA World Cup.

    Cedi Osman and Onuralp Bitim led the way as team-high scorers with 17 points each, while Malachi Flynn added 13. 

    After this win, Turkey became the first national team to qualify for the FIBA World Cup with the perfect 8-0 record.

    STANDINGS

    In Group J, Turkey continued their perfect run in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and became the first national team to qualify for the 2027 tournament with perfect 8-0 record.

    Serbia climbed to second place with a 6-2 record following their victory over Italy, while Italy sits third at 5-3.

    Lithuania is currently the first team below the qualification line at 4-4, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland are tied at 3-5.

    Group J:

    1. Turkey 8-0
    2. Serbia 6-2
    3. Italy 5-3
    4. Lithuania 4-4
    5. Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-5
    6. Iceland 3-5
    Standings provided by Sofascore

    In Group I, Ukraine holds top spot with a 6-2 record, though they are far from having the job wrapped up. Spain and Georgia follow closely behind, tied at 5-3.

    None of the top three teams are locked in yet, as Portugal, Greece, and Montenegro are breathing down their necks, all sitting right behind at 4-4.

    Group I:

    1. Ukraine 6-2
    2. Spain 5-3
    3. Georgia 5-3
    4. Montenegro 4-4
    5. Portugal 4-4
    6. Greece 4-4
    Standings provided by Sofascore

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