By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A late surge by Bogdan Bogdanovic plus the cold blood of Serbian shooters down the stretch made the difference in the 80 – 74 victory of the “Orlovi” over Group D hosts Turkey for Day 3 of the EuroBasket.
Call me Bogdan: He was away from his usual self for the majority of the match, but emerged as a true leader in the last minutes of the fourth period. When Turkey gained a 57 – 59 lead, Bogdanovic erupted, scoring 11 out of his 17 points in less than two minutes to provide his squad a 70 – 65 advantage with 3:44 remaining.
Solutions from beyond the arc: Turkey reacted thanks to its top player, Melih Mahmutoglu (19 points, 5/9 3-pointers) but a pair of triples by Stefan Jovic (15 points, 9 assists) and Vladimir Lucic (7 points) retained Serbia’s lead and then Ognjen Kuzmic sealed the result, making it a three-possession game, 79 – 72. With 41 seconds left, there was no way back.
“Play-Maker Wanted”: The first quarter of the game exposed the problems of the Turkish national team in its backcourt, particularly in the point guard position. The ball-handlers of the “12 Giant Men” made eight quarters in the first ten minutes of the game, allowing their opponents ample fast-break scoring opportunities and a 21 – 13 advantage.
The situation vastly improved in the second period and Turkey even went ahead in the fourth before Serbia struck back for the win. Yet the story of the game could’ve been written differently if the hosts didn’t carry the baggage of an early deficit from most of the game’s duration.
(Photo credit: FIBA.basketball)