By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Georgia captain Tornike Shengelia was forced to exit the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers game of his national team against the Netherlands halfway through the third quarter due to a shoulder injury that will keep him out of the upcoming Eurobasket (1/9).
Shengelia was running the floor during a transition play when he slipped and fell on his right shoulder. The 30-year-old forward left the match in tears after scoring 20 points (on 8-11 shots) in a 77 – 66 win for Georgia.
While there’s no official update on Shengelia’s status, sources tell Eurohoops that the injury is serious enough to sideline him for the next two to three months.
It’s a huge hit for Georgia which hosts Group A of the EuroBasket preliminary stage and is hoping to make the knockout stage in Berlin for the first time since the 2015 tournament.
“We cannot celebrate since we lost our captain,” said Georgia national team coach Ilias Zouros after the game. “It’s a big shock for us”.
Thad McFadden added 19 points for Georgia which had for the first time this summer NBAer Goga Bitadze on the roster (8 p. 7 r.). Worthy De Jong had 22 points plus six rebounds for the Dutch team.