In the second round of the FIBA World Cup, Serbia faced off against Puerto Rico, securing yet another victory and a confident start to their Mundobasket campaign.
The “Eagles” emerged triumphant with a score of 94-77, led by Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic, each contributing 17 points.
As a precautionary measure, Svetislav Pesic did not include Filip Petrusev in the lineup for this game. The Serbian basketball player had sustained an ankle injury in the match against China, causing him to sit out this duel on the bench.
Pobeda Srbije π·πΈπͺ#WinForSrbija #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/VHMppQjvwx
— KoΕ‘arkaΕ‘ki savez SRB (@KSSrbije) August 28, 2023
From the very start, the “Eagles” dictated the pace of the game. Nikola Jovic shone brightly with a quick 11 points, giving Serbia a 27-15 lead after the opening quarter. The same pattern continued into the second quarter. By halftime, Nikola Milutinov had already notched up 10 points and an impressive nine rebounds. A substantial lead of 30 points (57-27) turned the duel into a one-sided affair by halftime, which lasted only 35 minutes.
Puerto Rico put up a significantly stronger performance in the third period, winning it 31-18. This effort helped them narrow the gap to 75-58 going into the final ten minutes. At one point, Puerto Rico managed to reduce the deficit to just ten points. However, Serbia’s serious approach in the closing minutes secured a comfortable victory. A cause for concern was the injury sustained by Aleksa Avramovic, who left the court four minutes before the end.
Leading the scoring for Serbia were Nikola Jovic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, each contributing 17 points. Avramovic ended the game with 15 points, while Nikola Milutinov closed with an impressive 12 points and 15 rebounds. On the opposing side, Isaiah Pinerio led Puerto Rico’s efforts with 14 points.
In the third and final round of the preliminary phase of the FIBA World Cup, Serbia will face South Sudan