New Zealand defeated Croatia 90:86 after a comeback in the final quarter of the second round of the Olympic Games qualifying tournament.
Reminder, Croatia convincingly defeated Slovenia 108:92 in the first round of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens.
Croatia started the game strong, quickly taking a 15:10 lead within the first few minutes. However, New Zealand responded well, shooting effectively and narrowing the gap to 29:28 by the end of the first quarter.
New Zealand continued to shoot well from beyond the arc in the following quarters, hitting an impressive 8 out of 12 three-pointers at one point. After a timeout called by Josip Sesar with the score at 50:42 in favor of New Zealand, the Croatians tightened up their defense significantly. They closed the first half with an 18:5 run, reclaiming the lead on their side.
Jaleen Smith makes a TUFF lay-up to hit the 🚨 TISSOT Buzzer Beater 🚨 and extend Croatia's lead at the half 🇭🇷#FIBAOQT #BuzzerBeater pic.twitter.com/LohqQHdD4O
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 3, 2024
New Zealand couldn’t find an answer for Ivica Zubac, who by midway through the third quarter had 24 points and 13 rebounds with just one missed shot from the field (10/11). Despite Croatia maintaining their lead throughout the game, Coach Pero Cameron’s team refused to give up. Thanks to their strong effort, they trailed by only five points heading into the final ten minutes (79:74).
The final quarter started with a tight contest, where after three and a half minutes, the score was 1-0 in favor of New Zealand. However, Croatia managed to find some scoring opportunities and pulled ahead 84:77. After that, Josip Sesar’s team seemed to fade, showing signs of fatigue, allowing New Zealand to stage a comeback with an 11:0 run, taking the lead 90:86.
Corey Webster led the winning team with 21 points, supported by the outstanding performance of Shea Ili with 18 points.
In Croatia’s team, Ivica Zubac was the top scorer with 29 points and 16 rebounds, followed by Dario Saric with 19 points and Mario Hezonja with 16 points. Dario Dreznjak also contributed with 10 points.
Despite the loss, Croatia secured a spot in the semifinals by finishing the group stage with one win and one loss, but with a positive point differential. Slovenia and New Zealand will play tomorrow to determine the second semifinalist, where Luka Doncic and his team will need to win by at least 10 points.
Top Betting Offers 2024: