By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
One of the most important tests for both teams was held at Ljubljana as Slovenia faced Lithuania at Stozice Arena. It was a close game from the first moment till the end and Slovenia proved to be the first team to beat (74-72) Lithuania. Domen Lorbek was the top scorer for the winners with 18 points and also the MVP of the tournament. Goran Dragic added 10, but also Muric (8p, 9 reb) gave a great boost to his team. Four players of Lithuania scored in double digits. Jonas Valanciunas didn’t play.
At Strasbourg the European Champions France hosted Finland and survived in the last minute (74-69). It was a memorable night for Nicolas Batum as he surpassed the 1000 points milestone at his career with the national team. The hosts controlled the game at first half, but Finland made a push during the third quarter and with a partial score 12-25 and took the 54-58 lead at 30′. The last quarter was very competitive and the last minutes turned to a thriller. Finland was leading 65-69, 80 seconds before the end, but Michael Gelabale scored 5 points in a row (70-69). The guests lost a couple of chances and the leader of France, Nicolas Batum secured the game for the hosts.