Finland defeated Poland by 89:88 and thus managed to reach the semifinals of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia.
Lassi Tuovi’s team needed a win against their rivals, as both lost to the Bahamas in the first match.
The first quarter suggested that this could be an equal duel and that the uncertain ending could decide the better one. Both were in an attacking mood, so that part of the game ended 24:24.
In the second, Poland started to make a bigger difference, while AJ Slaughter and Jeremy Sochan were extremely effective and it was that tandem that caused the most problems for Lassi Tuovi and his team. Thus, Poland gained plus nine and with that advantage waited for the third quarter.
Igor Milicic’s team did not stop there. On the contrary, they started to play even better, quickly gained a double-digit plus and entered the fourth quarter in a better mood.
However, Finland reduced the deficit to only two points with an 18:9 series and complicated the match. They took the lead at the very end, after which real drama followed.
In the end, Finland was better, thanks to Alexander Madsen’s points from the free throw line. This is how this team made it to the semifinals of the tournament, where they will play against Spain.
The most deserving for that were Mikael Jantunen with 20 points and Alexander Madsen with 18. The rival was led by AJ Slaughter with 21 points.
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