Serbia’s women’s national under-18 basketball team suffered a 79-56 defeat to Spain in the semifinals of the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket.
Unfortunately, Serbia will not have the opportunity to compete for the gold medal after being convincingly beaten by Europe’s top-ranked team, Spain, in the semifinals of the European Championship in Stockholm.
Serbia will now face Finland in Sunday’s bronze medal game, while Spain and France will battle for the championship title.
Nevena Petrović led Serbia with 15 points and was the only Serbian player to finish in double figures. Jovana Ilić added nine points, while Milica Mazić contributed eight.
For Spain, Okafor scored 17 points, Ljompar added 11, and Díaz finished with 10.
Serbia opened the game strongly, forcing Spain to call an early timeout. Their zone defense worked effectively, while the offense moved the ball well and consistently found ways to attack the paint.
The team coached by Miljana Bojović also excelled in transition, with Nevena Petrović scoring several important baskets following steals.
The girls in blue finished the opening quarter with a solid 19-15 lead, but then the momentum shifted.
Spain responded with a decisive run that forced Bojović to call a quick timeout, and Serbia then went nearly five minutes without scoring, a stretch that proved extremely costly.
The most dominant team in Europe once again showed its quality, taking a comfortable 43-30 lead into halftime.
A 13-point deficit was still manageable, and the Serbian players knew it, but they were unable to respond in the third quarter.
Spain found its rhythm offensively, with Okafor delivering a superb performance and Ljompar proving unstoppable. Serbia managed to score only 10 points during the 10-minute period against Spain’s aggressive defensive schemes.
Serbia scored 19 points in the opening quarter, but only 22 over the next two quarters combined. It was not enough to secure a place in the final. Spain will play France for the gold medal, while Serbia will take on Finland in the bronze medal game.
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Source: B92, Foto: FIBA