Serbia and the Dominican Republic clashed in a decisive Group I match, determining a direct ticket to the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup. “The Eagles” emerged victorious with a commanding 112-79 win, securing their place among the top eight.
The stakes were high, and the outcome meant that the losing team would pack their bags and conclude their World Cup journey.
Right from the outset, Serbian basketball players honed in on their targets. Leading the charge were Bogdan Bogdanovic and Vanja Marinkovic. With aggressive defense and excellent ball movement on offense, Serbia led 29-15 after the opening ten minutes. “The Eagles” continued their stellar play in the second quarter, extending the lead to over 20 points, resulting in a 56-35 score at halftime.
To je to! 🙌
— Košarkaški savez SRB (@KSSrbije) September 3, 2023
Idemo u četvrtfinale @FIBAWC 🇷🇸#FIBAWC | #WinForSrbija pic.twitter.com/7VnygjB0j6
The second half provided a faster-paced game with slightly more physicality permitted by the referees compared to the first half. Even in such a setting, Serbia adapted much better, and with the contributions of motivated individuals, they entered the final quarter with an 87-53 lead. In the last quarter, under the guidance of Svetislav Pešić, Serbia didn’t allow any suspense and smoothly secured their quarterfinal spot.
The top scorer for the victorious team was captain Bogdan Bogdanovic with 20 points, five assists, and three steals, making all of his field goals (7/7). Nikola Milutinov and Vanja Marinkovic each contributed 16 points, while Stefan Jovic filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. As expected, Karl-Anthony Towns led the Dominican Republic with 25 points and seven rebounds.
Other matches
In another Group I match earlier today, Italy defeated Puerto Rico, becoming the first team to advance to the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals. This group will cross paths with the teams from the United States and Lithuania. The pairings for the quarterfinals will be determined based on the outcome of their head-to-head encounter.