By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After 40 minutes of an intense battle, Czech Republic grabbed a 91-76 victory against Turkey and punched its ticket to the second round of FIBA World Cup in style. This marks a great result for the tournament’s newcomers against Group E favorites (after USA) Turkey.
Tomas Satoransky (11 points) and Ondrej Balvin (17 points) took Turkey by storm in the fourth quarter of the game, while Czech Republic’s overall rotation knocked down their opponents in the paint. With less than a minute remaining in the game, Cedi Osman (24 points) reduced the deficit to 10 points (86-76), though the momentum was not there this time. Two days ago, Turkey nearly edged Team USA in overtime.
Ronen Ginzburg’s squad placed a challenge for Turkey right from the first quarter, which they won 22-16. Since that point on, it was a tight contest between the two teams, though Ufuk Sarica’s men rushed with a 25-23 run in the third period and reduced the score to 66-60 heading to the final one.
Photo credit: FIBA.basketball