Serbia’s young basketball team has advanced to the semifinals of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Istanbul after dismantling Lithuania in a dominant fourth quarter and securing a convincing 101-78 victory to book its place in the medal round.
Awaiting them will be the winner of the quarterfinal between France and host nation Turkey, but what is particularly commendable is that Serbia managed to overcome the crisis it faced in the third quarter, when Lithuania even built a five-point lead.
Our boys held a 10-point advantage at halftime (44-34), but the Lithuanians completed a remarkable comeback in the third quarter. Serbia then regained its composure, and the final period was especially impressive, as Serbia built a lead of more than 20 points over the Baltic side. Our team won that quarter 35-11.
It will now be an opportunity for our boys to fight for another medal at the Under-17 World Championship, which would be an incredible achievement for this generation, having already won gold at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket last year.
The most outstanding performance came from the absolutely sensational Nikola Kusturica, for whom words of praise are simply running out. He finished the game with 30 points, shooting 10-for-14 from two-point range, 2-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 4-for-8 from the free-throw line. He also recorded seven rebounds and three assists.
He was well supported by the outstanding Matija Lukić, who contributed 27 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Ognjen Simjanovski added 13 points.
For Lithuania, Benas Birzinis stood out with 17 points, while Gabrielijus Buividas scored 16.
The semifinal is scheduled for tomorrow, with the tip-off time to be announced later.
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Source: Telegraf.rs, Foto: FIBA