By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind 22 points by Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia defeated Italy 83 – 67 in Ettore Messina’s last game with the “Azzurri” and advanced to the EuroBasket semifinal where it will face Russia for a spot in the title game.
Serbian superiority for 30 minutes: The two teams stayed close only for the first quarter (17 – 18). With Boban Marjanovic (10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) providing scoring, board control and creation for his teammates, the “Orlovi” took a 44 – 33 halftime lead and never looked back afterward, always remaining at a relatively safe distance.
Rebounding carnage: Italy was being slaughtered in rebounds (44 – 19 for Serbia at the end) and with Marco Belinelli shooting poorly from the perimeter (an 18 points team-high but with 2/11 3s) it continued trailing with a deficit over double-digits.
The monotonous attacks of the Italian team that lacked any options for threatening from the low post allowed Serbia to remain ahead without spilling much sweat.
Bogdan shut down the comeback effort: Messina’s players spiced up things when Gigi Datome (15 points) made it 59 – 67 with 5 minutes left. But Bogdanovic took his gun leading his team through a surge that increased its lead to 61-76 and put a stop to Italy’s dreams.
Photo: Fiba.Basketball