By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The first FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers window is now closed, with Georgia’s Giorgi Shermadini shining the brightest, picking up two Team of Gameday honors en route to a 2-0 start to the event.
Following an excellent showing in the Qualifiers opener against Switzerland, Shermadini delivered another big performance on the road in Serbia, with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line, plus 11 rebounds to gather in an efficiency rating of 29.
With such a dominating figure inside, Georgia stunned the crowd in Serbia, winning the game 94-90.
But it wasn’t all about the man in the middle for Georgia. Thad McFadden hit clutch shot after clutch shot to seal the deal for coach Ilias Zouros, finishing the game with 33 points, a gameday-high, knocking down all 11 of his free throw attempts, while also dishing out 7 assists and finishing with 31 in the efficiency column
In addition to the two Georgia stars, Jonathan Tabu of Belgium, Vitaly Fridzon of Russia and Eimantas Bendzius of Lithuania make up the rest of the Team of the Gameday.
Joining McFadden in the backcourt is Jonathan Tabu. The Belgian Lions’ leader put all his experience on the floor for coach Dario Gjergja, flirting with a triple-double in a 22-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist, 3-steal performance to take Belgium to 2-0 with an 88-72 triumph in Denmark.
Speaking of experience, Russia’s Vitaly Fridzon left his mark off the bench in a 77-67 win over North Macedonia. The hot-shooting veteran had 23 points in 27 minutes, with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and even 1 block to his name, too.
Rounding out the Team of Gameday 2 is Lithuania’s Eimantas Bendzius. His three-point shooting powered a 24-2 run that saw Lithuania erase a nine-point deficit against Czech Republic, and Bendzius finished the day with 26 points, 6 triples, 4 rebounds, 2 assists – all done in less than 30 minutes off the bench in a 97-89 comeback win for Lithuania.
Source: FIBA