Serbia hosted Finland in the opening of the EuroBasket 2025 qualification at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Svetislav Pesic’s team triumphed with a score of 77:61 after a much tougher game than expected.
It’s worth noting that for the first FIBA qualifying window, national teams cannot count on NBA players, which is why Lauri Markkanen, as Finland’s best player, was absent. Serbia’s lineup was notably depleted, with a double-digit list of absent players. Alongside all NBA players (Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vasilije Micic, Aleksej Pokusevski, Nikola Jovic, Nikola Jokic), the match was also missed by Nikola Kalinic, Nikola Milutinov, Vladimir Lucic, Stefan Jovic, and Nikola Topic.
From the 15-man roster, Ognjen Dobric, Uros Trifunovic, and Aleksa Uskokovic did not play.
Serbia started this game with visible nervousness and likely a dose of pressure due to their role as favorites in front of the home crowd. Finland had a much better start to the match, taking an 8:3 lead, with Edon Maxhuni easily scoring six points. Despite solid play from Luka Mitrovic in coach Pesic’s lineup, the advantage remained in Finland’s hands (15:11).
The turnaround came with long-range shooting from Vanja Marinkovic and Aleksa Avramovic, bringing the score to 17:15 and prompting a timeout from Finland. The guests closed the first quarter with a 5:0 run, leading 20:17.
Team Serbia begin their road to @EuroBasket tonight against Finland! ๐ท๐ธ-๐ซ๐ฎ#Serbia #Finland #EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/c8ttFX2fIq
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) February 23, 2024
The second quarter also began at a slow pace with a lot of misses on both sides. After four minutes of play, only six points were scored collectively, and Serbia particularly struggled with three-point shooting. Finland held a narrow lead of 24:23. Then, just like in the first quarter, Serbia responded, this time through Mitrovic and Dejan Davidovac, taking the lead 29:26.
Despite having many turnovers (even eight), Serbia maintained the lead thanks to offensive rebounds. Sasu Salin and Remu Raitanen created a mini 6:0 run with three-point shots, but a ready response came from Ognjen Jaramaz. Thanks to captain Mitrovic, Serbia led 36:34 at halftime.
The Finns showcased their defensive aggressiveness, gaining confidence in their offensive game, which led them to a significant 48:39 lead after a 14:3 run at the start of the third quarter, the biggest lead at plus nine. Luka Mitrovic carried Serbia on his shoulders, keeping them within single-digit deficit, but besides him, no one seemed to be in form offensively.
Serbia struggled throughout with free throw shooting, but Avramovic and Marinkovic created a 9:0 run with their shots, tying the game at 48:48 before a timeout called by the Finnish bench. Although the Finns regained the lead, Avramovic’s steal and dunk, supported by Filip Petrusev, brought Serbia to 56:51.
The key moment of the game undoubtedly came in the middle of the third quarter when Finland led 48:39. An incredible 28:3 run brought about a major turnaround, leading to a crucial win to continue in the qualifiers. During that time frame, the visitors went almost seven minutes without scoring.
The standout player for the winning team was Luka Mitrovic, scoring 19 points alongside nine rebounds (7/10 from the field). Aleksa Avramovic contributed 18 points and two steals, with eight points coming in the crucial third quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into a seven-point lead. In the ‘land of lakes’, Mikael Jantunen led with 11 points, followed by Elias Valtonen with 10 points and eight rebounds.
In the second round of EuroBasket qualifiers, Serbia will face Georgia in Tbilisi, while Finland will clash with Denmark.
Demark started the EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers with a home win against Georgia, winning 75:69
The home team secured the win with a stronger performance in the second half against the team coached by debutant Aleksandar Djikic.
Georgia had a better start to the game and held an 11-point lead after the first quarter, leading 37:28 at halftime. In the low-scoring second half, the home team slowly began to chip away at the visitors’ lead.
At the beginning of the final quarter, led by their top star Ife Lundberg, they made an 11:3 run and took the lead, which they held onto until the end, starting the qualifiers in a decisive manner in a group that also includes Serbia and Finland.
Ife Lundberg finished the game with 19 points, followed by Kevin Larsen with 13. In the Georgian team, Tornike Shengelia led with 27 points, while Joe Thomasson contributed 16. In the next round, Denmark will travel to Finland, while Georgia will host Serbia.
Estonia secured a 74:69 away win against North Macedonia in a Group H game. The hosts led 43:36 at halftime, but the guests played excellently in the third quarter, taking a 57:53 lead that they maintained until the end.
Sander Vene and Maik Kotsar led the winners with 16 points each, followed by Kristian Kullamae with two points less. Nenad Dimitrijevic led the home team with 25 points, while Ethan Happ contributed 18.
In this group, there are also Lithuania and Poland.