By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Led by Dario Saric’s strong performance, Croatia defeated Turkey 84-71 in the 2024 Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament held in Istanbul, with the Golden State Warriors forward recording a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Turkey was a solid favorite to win the tournament they were hosting; they made it to the finals led by Alperen Şengün, but Croatia also had a great tournament and in the end proved to be too strong for Ergin Ataman’s team.
Mario Hezonja followed Šarić with 16 points, Jaleen Smith added 14, while Goran Filipovic scored 10 for the winning side. LA Clippers big man Ivica Zubac almost had a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, as Croatia secured a place in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
For the hosts, who were down 25-45 in the second quarter and never recovered, Furkan Korkmaz had 19, Sahmus Hazer 16, and Şengün scored 14 points off the bench.
CAMEROON ALSO SECURES A SPOT FOR OQT
Poland defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier in Gliwice to be the first team to book a place at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but Cameroon also punched their ticket thanks to an 80-74 win over Senegal in the Pre-Qualifying Tournament held in Nigeria.
Samir Gbetkom led the winning side with 19 points, while Philippe Jordan Bayehe with 15, Paul Eboua with 13, and Jeremiah Hill with 11 and 14 assists followed him.
Youssou Ndoye led the losing side with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Moustapha Diop added 14 points with seven boards, and Brancou Badio scored 16 points with six assists.
Photo: fiba.basketball