By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Manila – Βoth teams had lost the chance to qualify for the quarterfinals and Montenegro was the one leaving the Philippines on a high note, getting the 73-69 win.
Lasting 23 minutes to finish the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Nikola Vucevic recorded 19 points with 9/17 shots. Dino Radoncic had 12 points and Vladimir Mihailovic added ten points. Bojan Dubljevic chipped in four points to go with nine rebounds, nine assists, and one steal.
On the other hand, Greeks had already checked out from the competition and were in a hurry to check in on their plane back home, with the flight scheduled four and a half hours after the tip-off. Ioannis Papapetrou with 16 points was the top scorer in the last showing in the Mall of Asia Arena.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo wasn’t used from Greece due to a minor discomfort on his left leg, while Montenegro rested Kendrick Perry, and most of the starters from both sides played limited minutes. Also, Manos Chatzidakis exited with an injury with 7:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The first half ended with Montenegro being up by six (36-30) and building a 46-34 advantage at the start of the second half.
Watch the upcoming World Cup on the official streaming service of FIBA! Join Courtside 1891 and never miss a second of the action!
The third period ended with Montenegro leading by eight (50-42), the game being unspectacular and nothing really noteworthy happening.
The lead grew to 14 points in the fourth quarter but was reduced to four points before the team coached by Bosko Radovic reached the win condition.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL