By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 31 points with 7/12 3-pointers, as Serbia beat the Czech Republic 90 – 81 after a comeback from 13 points down, to finish the 2019 FIBA World Cup at the fifth place.
The Czech Republic completed the tournament at a historic-best sixth spot. Patrik Auda dropped a team-high 16 points for the losing squad that was up 30 – 43 in the mid of the second period but lost track after the break.
With the score 58 – 58, Serbia turned up the heat to close the third quarter up 69 – 62. The “Orlovi” kept pushing in the fourth period with Nikola Milutinov (14 points, seven rebounds) and Nikola Jokic (seven points, seven assists, 14 rebounds) entering the offensive equation.
Four minutes into the final quarter, Bogdanovic hit the triple that gave Serbia an 18-point lead, 84 – 66 and paved the way for what ultimately became a comfortable win for his squad.
Martin Peterka added 14 points and Tomas Satoransky contributed 13 points and six assists to the Czech Republic. For Serbia, Stefan Jovic added 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.