By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
In a do-or-die game, Croatia blew out Roumania 63 – 90 on the road and qualified to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers.
Even if in the first quarter, the game was competitive (18-19) and Croatia could not find open shots, in the second quarter everything changed. With Dario Saric leading the way and scoring on offense, the visitors went up ahead by 13 points (31-44). In the second half, they even increased this lead to 25+ points.
The NBAers were on another level, as Dario Saric (22p. 12r. 5a.) and Ivica Zubic (20p. 9p.) were a dynamic duo inside the paint.
Italy and The Netherlands also qualified from the same group.
Earlier, Janis Strelnieks shined as Latvia easily defeated Ukraine. For Group C, Slovenia lost to Montenegro at home but advanced as the third seed to the second round of the qualifiers.
Finally, Spain picked up an easy win against Belarus (80 – 60) and provided a great highlight play as 11 of the 12 players scored.
July 1 Final Results:
Ukraine – Latvia: 71-93
Turkey – Sweeden: 77-52
The Netherlands – Italy: 81-66
Roumania – Croatia: 63-90
Spain – Belarus: 80-60
Hungary – Lithuania: 50-73
Slovenia – Montenegro: 74-87
Kosovo – Poland: 70-103