Serbia kicked off their campaign in the ongoing FIBA World Cup by facing China, led by coach Aleksandar Đorđević. The “Eagles” secured a commanding victory with a score of 105:63.
A notable moment from the first-round matchup was the injury to Filip Petrušev during the second quarter, which forced him to exit the game prematurely.
Early in the game, Chinese players displayed exceptional accuracy in their three-point shooting. While this kept the score close, Serbia imposed their rhythm and quality, building a lead of over 20 points in the first half. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 55:34 in favor of Serbia.
Najubedljivija pobeda u dosadašnjem delu FIBA Svetskog prvenstva ostala je u senci povrede koju je doživeo Filip Petrušev.https://t.co/er6ucWM6zB
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere7) August 26, 2023
Serbia maintained their momentum throughout the second half. The outcome was never in doubt, allowing Svetislav Pešić to give playing time to all team members and rest key players. By the end of the third quarter, the score stood at 77:47, making the final period a mere formality to seal the well-prepared victory that marked Serbia’s FIBA World Cup debut.
The standout player for Serbia was captain Bogdan Bogdanovic, contributing 14 points, a tally matched by Vanja Marinkovic. Dusan Ristic scored one point less, Nikola Milutinov added 11 points, and Aleksa Avramovic concluded his performance with 10 points. Rui Zhao led the Chinese team with 17 points.
Serbia’s next match is against Puerto Rico on Sunday, August 27, starting at 14:00. China will cross paths with South Sudan in their next fixture.