Spain repeat as European Champions!
- Sep 19, 2011
Gold
Spain - France
98-85
Spain repeated as European Champions. They overcame France in the title game
tonight in Kaunas.
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) put on another brilliant performance scoring 27
points and issuing 4 assists. The teams got to a flying start. Spain exploded
with 25 points in the opening frame to take a 5-point lead after ten minutes
25:20.
Jose
Manuel Calderon (190-PG-81) and Ibaka posted 29:20 lead for the Spaniards
early in the second term. Soon
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) made it 36:26 for La Roja midway through the period.
Nando De Colo and Batum dragged Les Bleus as close as 5 points late in the half
but
Pau Gasol stepped up for Spain once again establishing a 50:41 lead at the
interval.
Juan
Carlos Navarro kept Spain in charge throughout the third term. He unloaded 9
points and Spain ensured a 75:62 lead at the final intermission.
Pau
Gasol and Rudy Fernandez stretched the margin to 16 points midway through
the fourth term and Spain never looked back en route to a confident win.
Pau
Gasol and
Jose
Manuel Calderon accounted for 17 points each in the victory.
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) shone for Les Bleus scoring 26 points, distributing 5
assists and pulling down 5 rebounds.
Boris Diaw (203-F/C-82) contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.
Russia clinch Bronze in Lithuania
- Sep 18, 2011
Russia - FYR Macedonia 72:68
Russia stepped on the pedestal at 2011 EuroBasket. They overcame FYR Macedonia
in a thrilling consolation final encounter in Kaunas tonight.
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) posted 18 points and 7 rebounds to pace the
winners.
Russia used a 10:0 run midway through the opening frame to establish a 13:6
lead. They rallied to a 17:13 lead at the first break.
Timofey Mozgov (216-C-86, agency:
RIZO) scored six points in a row early in the second term as Russia earned a
22:15 advantage.
David
Blatt team maintained the lead. They posted a 36:30 halftime buffer. Shved
boosted the margin to 9 points early in the third term. Soon
Andrei Kirilenko made it 43:32 for Russia. But
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
stepped up for FYR Macedonia helping them knot things up at 50 late in the
period. Vorontevich capped the term with two free throws putting Russia back in
charge.
Vlado Ilievski (189-PG-80, agency:
World Sport Agency) and Antic put FYR Macedonia in front 55:52 early in the
fourth term. However
Andrei Kirilenko drained two triples and
Andrey Vorontsevich (204-C-87) tipped the ball in for Russia to regain
advantage. Samardziski helped FYR Macedonia to level things up at 68 with just
48 seconds to go. Bykov then converted a wild lay-up to put Russia back in
front. Shved followed Stojanovskis miss with two free throws to make it 72:68
for Russia and they ran away with the victory at the end.
Andrey Vorontsevich,
Timofey Mozgov and
Sergey Monya (203-F-83) posted 10 points each in the winning effort.
Bo
McCalebb responded with 22 points for FYR Macedonia.
Vlado Ilievski chipped in 16 points in the loss.
Lithuania edge Greece, both clinch a place in the FIBA
Olympic Qualifying Tournament - Sep 17, 2011
Places 5-6
Lithuania - Greece
73-69
Lithuania edge Greece, both clinch a place in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying
Tournament. The hosts of the tournament won 73:69 to take the fifth position at
home tournament. Fotsis and Bourousis opened the game for Greece, while
Papanikolaou brought 8:2.
Mantas Kalnietis (196-G-86, agency:
Interperformances) reduce to just one points, while Lithuania could not
closer in the first period. Calathes and Fotsis ensured 20:14 lead at the end of
the first period. Koufos opened the second frame with 4 consecutive points to
give Greece 24:14.
Darius Songaila (205-C/F-78, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Wake Forest)
later made two free throws for 26:20 and
Martynas Pocius (196-G-86, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Duke)
reduced to 29:25. The hosts did their best to tie the game but failed in the
first half. Papanikolaou scored three free throws at the end of the half for
37:32 lead. The third quarter was successful for the Baltic State. Jankunas
nailed three for 40:39 as it became the first advantage of the home side.
Mantas Kalnietis increased to 44:39 and he made also 50:43. Kaukenas brought
the biggest lead at that time for 54:44, whilst Vasileiadis closed the period at
56:48. Greece kept Lithuania scoreless for about three minutes in the fourth
quarter and managed to cut it to 56:53. The hosts needed a 5-0 run for 61:53,
but Vasileiadis reduced to 61:58. Again
Kostas Vasiliadis (200-G/F-84, agency:
FCM) kept the guests alive at 63:60 and Calathes scored for 65:62. Moreover
Fotsis tied the game at 65:65. Kaukenas and
Darius Songaila gave Lithuania 69:65 with 30 seconds remaining, but Calathes
nailed three for 69:68.
Mantas Kalnietis later made two free throws for 73:69 and
Martynas Pocius top-scored for the winners with 13 points and
Darius Songaila nailed 12. Calathes brought 16 points in the losing effort,
whilst Fotsis and Vasileiadis delivered 13 each.
Places 7-8
Slovenia - Serbia
72-68
Slovenia claimed the seventh overall position at the EuroBasket. They held off
Serbia on the final day of the competition.
Goran Dragic (194-PG-86) scored 21 points to pace the winners. Slovenia
opened the game with six points in a row. They quickly cleared off to a
double-digit lead. But Serbia slowly picked up the tempo and surged ahead for a
20:19 advantage late in the period. But
Saso
Ozbolt (188-G-81, agency:
World Sport Agency) drained a pair of triples and Muric added a dunk as
Slovenia secured a 27:20 lead after ten minutes of action.
Jaka
Lakovic (186-G-78) gave Slovenia back a double-digit advantage midway
through the second term. Slovenia stayed in charge posting a 44:39 halftime
lead.
Saso
Ozbolt, Lorbek and
Jaka
Lakovic made it 64:49 for Slovenia late in the third term. But Serbia
refused to give up easily. Milan Macvan triggered a 13:0 run that drew things
level at 64.
Goran Dragic stopped the bleeding with a free throw but Stefan Markovic soon
put Serbia in front 66:65.
Jaka
Lakovic drained a triple and Lorbek came up with a jumper that sealed the
win for Slovenia.
Jaka
Lakovic delivered 15 points, while
Saso
Ozbolt posted 9 points in the victory.
Kosta Perovic (217-C-85) answered with 13 points for Serbia.
Nemanja Bjelica (209-F/C-88, agency:
Interperformances), Dusko Savanovic and Milan Macvan had 12 points each in
the loss.
Blue Team won the U18 All-Star Game
- Sep 17, 2011
Almost
10,000 excited fans streamed into the Kauno Arena to watch the U18 All Star Game
on the penultimate day of EuroBasket.
They were entertained by a dramatic contest as Team Blue won a real thriller
against Team White 81-80 and also treated to a half-time dunk contest won by
Sergey Karasev (200-F-93) of Russia.
The event brought together the cream of young talent from right across Europe
with both teams drawn from the summer's top performers at the U18 European
Championship and FIBA U19 World Championship.
It was Team Blue who started more strongly with
William Magarity (207-F-93) of Sweden sinking a three-ball to hand his team
a 5-2 lead during the early exchanges. For Team White, it was
Rasmus Larsen (212-C-94) of Denmark who lit things up with a flying dunk as
his team posted an 11-6 run to move in front.
There was then perhaps the biggest cheer of the entire game when home favourite
Paulius Semaska (183-PG-93) was introduced into the action.
Unfortunately for his supporters, he could do little to prevent Team White
streaking into a commanding 31-22 first quarter lead after back to back scores
from downtown by Italian
Matteo Imbro (190-PG-94).
It wasn't long before
Tobias Borg (183-PG-93) of Sweden handed Team White a double-digit lead for
white with a really nice move and finish at the hoop before Team Blue finally
came alive once again midway through the period.
A nice baby hook shot from Polish center
Przemyslaw Karnowski (213-C-93) helped to bring them back into contention
although they still trailed 50-42 at the interval. Much of the best work by Team
White was down to the flawless first-half shooting lines of Croatian
Dario Saric (207-F/C-94) and German Bogdan Radosaviljevic.
Team Blue coach Mathias Eckhoff needed his team to respond during the third
quarter and they did. A big dunk in transition by
Aleksandr Gudumak (204-F-93) had the fans on their feet in appreciation and
when Danish guard
Esben Reinholt (196-G-93) made a triple, it was a one-shot game.
Moments later, Finnish forward
Joonas Caven (210-C/F-93) made a strong move to the hoop to level the scores
before a Karnowski jump-shot on the buzzer completed the fight-back to give Team
Blue a 65-63 lead heading into the last ten minutes.
With the result hanging in the balance, French guard
Hugo Invernizzi (196-G/F-93) stepped up for Team White and having missed his
first three shots from outside, made two from long-range to help his team move
73-68 in front.
But, it was to be Team Blue who would show the resolve and composure needed to
win the game down the stretch.
While Spaniard
Alejandro Suarez (205-F/C-93) made a big three from the corner to make it
80-79, a cool running jumper by Serbian
Aleksandar Cvetkovic (185-PG-93) proved to be the game winning bucket as
Team White failed to execute with the last possession.
The MVP award went to Przemyslaw Karnowski.
France and Spain enter championship game
- Sep 16, 2011
Semis
Russia - France
71-79
Russia suffered the first defeat of EuroBasket tonight but it was just enough
for them to stop one step away from the Final. France edged David Blatt team to
set up an exciting clash versus Spain for the crown.
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) knocked down 22 points and issued 5 assists to lead the
effort. The teams went neck and neck throughout the opening frame. The lead
changed hands for several times before
Tony
Parker gave France a 17:16 lead. Pietrus and Gelabale stretched the lead to
four points midway through the second term.
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) and
Tony
Parker made it 39:31 for Les Bleus before Fridzon drained a triple and
sealed the first half outcome at 34:39. Russia quickly erased the deficit in the
third term just to see
Nicolas Batum knock down a three-pointer and put France back in charge.
France capped the term with a 10:2 run to build a 55:47 advantage. Traore and
Nando De Colo (202-G-87) made it 61:49 for France midway through the fourth
term.
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) and Shved dragged Russia within five points
64:69 however
Nicolas Batum and
Tony
Parker gave no chance for Russia as Les Bleus cruised to the victory.
Nicolas Batum accounted for 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while
Nando De Colo added 9 points in the win.
Andrei Kirilenko answered with 21 points for Russia.
Timofey Mozgov (216-C-86, agency:
RIZO) netted 12 points in the loss.
Spain - FYR Macedonia
92-80
Spain will play in the championship game of EuroBasket. They overcame brilliant
FYR Macedonia tonight to book the spot in the title game. Spain will now take on
the winners of France vs. Russia clash.
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) put on a show scoring 35 points and grabbing 4
rebounds to lead the winners. The lead changed hands numerous times throughout
the opening frame. But Spain capped it with 9 points in a row to post a 26:18
lead.
Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) made it 28:18 for Spain at the start of the second
term. FYR Macedonia answered with a 10:0 run of their own to pull ahead. The
teams stayed neck and neck throughout the reminder of the period as Ilievski
sealed the first half outcome at 45:44 for FYR Macedonia.
Juan
Carlos Navarro triggered a 10:2 run from the Spanish team midway through the
third period as La Roja grabbed a 68:60 lead.
Juan
Carlos Navarro capped the term with a three-pointer to give Spain a 71:62
advantage. Spain quickly boosted the gap to 10 points and controlled the
situation till the end of the game.
Pau
Gasol accounted for 22 points and 17 rebounds, while
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) and
Serge Ibaka (208-C/F-89) added 11 points apiece in the win.
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
answered with 25 points for FYR Macedonia.
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Beo Basket) netted 17 points and pulled down 9 rebounds in the loss.
Places 5-8
Greece - Serbia
87-77
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency:
FCM) erupted with the win over Serbia as Greece won the Classification Game
for the 5-8 places. Greece needed 87:77 to face Lithuania for the fifth place in
their last game. Serbia meanwhile will take on Slovenia in the game for the 7-8
places.
Ioannis Bourousis and
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) scored the first points for their teams as both
squads desired to recover from the losses last nights in the Quarterfinal
clashes. Greece managed to do it better and created a 13-0 run for 15:2.
Moreover they added a 10-0 run immediately and enjoyed 25:4. Papanikolaou later
nailed three to close the first frame at 34:8. Koufos and Fotsis scored for
38:13, while Serbia woke up for the rest of the game. They responded with a 7-0
run as Macvan cut it to 38:20.
Nenad Krstic brought 42:24 and Keselj as well as Mavroeidis closed the half
at 48:26. Keselj and
Nenad Krstic brought 53:31, while
Nikolaos Zisis (196-G-83) increased to plus 24.
Nick Calathes (198-G-89, college:
Florida)
scored four in a row for 59:27. Keselj and Paunic reduced to 61:44 and Markovic
nailed three for minus 15. Koufos was the last player to score in the third
quarter for 64:48. Serbia made their last push with 7-1 in the start of the last
period. Teodosic reduced to 65:55, but Greece did not allow them to come closer.
They erupted with 7-2 and
Ioannis Bourousis scored for 72:57. Savanovic fired three for 74:60, whilst
Papanikolaou made a free throw for plus 15 with 3 minutes to go. Serbia tried
hard to reduce again, but Greece managed to keep double digit victory.
Ioannis Bourousis stepped up with 27 points and
Nikolaos Zisis netted 18. Fotsis scored 16, while
Nick Calathes added 10. Keselj answered with 22 points and
Nenad Krstic scored 15.
Russia and France complete semifinal picture
- Sep 15, 2011
Q-Finals
Russia - Serbia
77-67
Russia completed the semifinal picture at the 2011 EuroBasket in Lithuania. They
held off Serbia in an intense battle tonight to seal their semifinal appearance.
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) stepped up with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 6
assists to lead the effort. Russia will now take on France for the place in the
championship game. Serbia opened the game with four points in a row but Russia
quickly erased the deficit. They pulled in front and posted a 16:12 lead after
ten minutes. Monya, Shved and
Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) ensured a 7:0 start for Russia in the second
frame. David Blatt team stayed in control throughout the period posting a 34:27
halftime advantage.
Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) and Macvan dragged Serbia within a single point
early in the third quarter 38:39. But Russia did not allow their opponents to
pull ahead. They secured a 54:48 advantage at the final intermission. The margin
grew at 8-point mark but Serbia would not go away. They narrowed the gap to just
5 points with under three minutes to go. However
Andrei Kirilenko sank four free throws in the dying minutes and Russia
marched on to the victory at the end.
Andrey Vorontsevich (204-C-87) and
Viktor Khryapa posted 11 points each in the win. Shved added 10 points for
Russia.
Milos Teodosic answered with 20 points for Serbia.
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) finished with 13 points in the loss.
France - Greece
64-56
France won over Greece in the Quarterfinal game on Thursday. The French outfit
had a slow start but won 64:56. Greece surprised France with 7-0 run in the
start of the game and then
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency:
FCM) scored for 10:4. Calathes and
Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) increased to 11 points in the middle of the first
period. De Colo and
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) scored the last points in the frame for 17:14, Greece.
Antonis Fotsis and Papanikolaou increased to 21:14 early in the second
period, while De Colo tied the game at 21:21. France however could not jump in
front in the first half and trailed in the rest of the second quarter.
Ioannis Bourousis brought 27:23 and Bramos delivered two for 29:25.
Ioannis Bourousis closed the half at 31:27 as Greece won the second period
14-13.
Ioannis Bourousis scored for 39:32, but France started to play better in the
second half.
Tony
Parker tied the game at 40:40, while Calathes gave Greece 43:40.
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) tied it all at 45:45 from the perimeter and
Tony
Parker tasted the first lead with his side in the last quarter.
Nicolas Batum brought 52:47, while
Tony
Parker delivered two for 56:50 with 4 minutes to go.
Ioannis Bourousis made two free throws for 56:52 and kept the chances alive
for the victory. Again
Ioannis Bourousis and
Antonis Fotsis made only the second attempts in the free throws line for
56:54, while
Nicolas Batum increased the lead back to 4 points.
Nicolas Batum and then Zisis made it 60:56, while De Colo scored two free
throws for 62:56. Noah also made two free throws and set up the final result in
the game.
Tony
Parker top-scored for the winners with 18 points and
Nando De Colo (202-G-87) notched 16.
Nicolas Batum followed them with 15 points in a win.
Ioannis Bourousis collected 17 points and 11 caroms in defeat, while
Antonis Fotsis notched 9.
Placed 5-8
Slovenia - Lithuania
77-80
Lithuania survived a Classification Game for the 5-8 places against Slovenia.
The hosts of Eurobasket 2011 grabbed 80:77 and will play for the 5th place.
Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college:
Michigan St.)
and Lakovic gave Slovenia 4-0 lead and Zoran Dragic scored for 6:2. It looked
that Lithuania was far from the best game after the loss last night to FYR
Macedonia. Zoran Dragic scored another 4 for 14:6, while
Erazem Lorbek brought 16:11. Jankunas meanwhile managed to close the period
at 20:19. Pocius however gave the hosts 21:20 early in the second, while Smodis
tied it all at 23:23.
Goran Dragic (194-PG-86) scored for 28:27, while Javtokas delivered for
Lithuania lead at 31:28. The latter also made it 34:28 and
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college:
Maryland)
scored for 38:32. Valanciunas and
Mantas Kalnietis (196-G-86, agency:
Interperformances) gave the hosts 44:33 halftime advantage that was the
biggest lead in the game.
Erazem Lorbek reduced to 46:39 and Ozbolt nailed three for 49:42. Mirza
Begic brought Slovenia within 3 points and Smodis scored for 61:57. Lithuania
managed to grab 6-point lead at the end of 30 minutes as
Mantas Kalnietis scored for 63:57. Lakovic,
Erazem Lorbek and Smodis gave Slovenia 64:63 early in the fourth period.
Ozbolt nailed three for 68:65 and
Mantas Kalnietis replied for 68:68. Kaukenas later made the same at 74:74
with 2 minutes, but
Erazem Lorbek scored from the arc for 77:76.
Mantas Kalnietis answered with a three for 79:77 with 20 seconds on the
board. Lakovic had a chance to tie the game but missed a lay-up, while
Mantas Kalnietis made only one free throw for 3-point advantage.
Goran Dragic had a chance to tie the game but missed a long shot.
Mantas Kalnietis top-scored for the winners with 17 points, while
Darius Songaila (205-C/F-78, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Wake Forest)
and
Sarunas Jasikevicius scored 12 points apiece.
Erazem Lorbek and
Goran Dragic posted 16 points each in defeat, while Mirza Begic nailed 11.
FYR Macedonia and Spain reached the Semifinals!
- Sep 14, 2011
Spain - Slovenia
86-64
Spain became the first semifinalists of EuroBasket 2011. They eased past
Slovenia in the first quarterfinal of the tournament tonight.
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) scored 26 points to lead La Roja to the victory.
Slovenia ensured the brave start to the game. They opened the game with four
points in a row and maintained the lead throughout the opening quarter. Ozbolt
capped the first term with a three-pointer to make it 23:16 for Slovenia at the
first break. Spain used an 11:3 run midway through the second frame to post a
32:28 lead. They secured a 35:31 halftime advantage. Spain opened the second
half on a stunning 19:2 run. Slovenia could not come back to life in the
reminder of the period facing a massive 45:71 deficit at the final break.
Goran Dragic (194-PG-86) knocked down 7 points in a row to ignite a 9:0 run
from Slovenia at the start of the fourth quarter as they narrowed the gap at
17-point mark. However Spain quickly restored a safe distance and cruised to the
victory at the end.
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) notched 19 points and 16 rebounds for Spain.
Jose
Manuel Calderon (190-PG-81) added 9 points, 6 boards and 3 assists in the
win.
Goran Dragic answered with 14 points for Slovenia.
Mirza Begic (216-C-85) posted 10 points in defeat.
FYR Macedonia - Lithuania
67-65
FYR Macedonia eliminated the hosts in front of packed arena in Kaunas.
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
and Co won 67:65 and created another loudest upset in Eurobasket 2011. Songaila
and Samardziski exchanged the early baskets in the game, while Jasaitis nailed
three for 5:2. Kalnietis and Kalnietis brought 11:7 and
Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Arizona)
brought 4 in a row for 17:10. The guests however replied with 5-0 run and
Bo
McCalebb made it 17:15. The latter also closed the first period at 20:18
driving a lay-up for his 6th point. The second quarter was a defensive one
especially the start of it.
Bo
McCalebb scored for 22:21, but then FYR Macedonia could not score for about
5 minutes. Pocius made it 29:21 and only Ilievski brought the points for the
guests with 3 minutes in the half. Samardziski and again Ilievski reduced to
31:28, while
Bo
McCalebb sent the players to the lockers for 34:30, Lithuania.
Robertas Javtokas gave the hosts plus 6, but Stojanovski tied it all at
38:38. Antic scored for 41:41 and
Bo
McCalebb tasted the first lead with his side at 42:41. Songaila gave
Lithuania 47:45 and
Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) scored for 50:47. Chekovski kept the guests
alive after thirty minutes at 52:49.
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college:
Maryland)
scored for 56:52 and Kaukenas delivered two for 60:55.Bo
McCalebb scored his 19th points for 60:57 with 3 minutes to go. Jasaitis and
Bo
McCalebb exchanged the shots for 62:61, but Jankunas made two with a foul
for plus 4. Again
Bo
McCalebb cut it back to 2. Ilievski shocked the audience with a three for
66:65 with 11 seconds to go and Lithuania needed timeout. Jasaitis missed a shot
and Ilievski needed just one for the final success.
Bo
McCalebb top-scored for the winners with 23 points and Stojanovski netted
15. Ilievski followed them with 12 points and the important shot from the arc.
Robertas Javtokas ended up with 13 points in defeat and Ilievski scored 12.
The Quarterfinals are set for Kaunas
- Sep 13, 2011
Group E
Lithuania - Germany
84-75
Lithuania overcame Germany in a gripping game at EuroBasket tonight. The victory
propelled the hosts at 3-2 record in the third position in Group E. Lithuania
thus entered the quarterfinal stage of the tournament. Germany on the other hand
fell at 1-4 record and got eliminated from the tournament.
Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college:
Seton Hall)
stepped up with 19 points to lead the charge. Lithuania used an 8:0 run midway
through the opening frame to take a 21:15 lead. They maintained well enough
throughout the second quarter.
Rimantas Kaukenas accounted for 11 points in the first half as the hosts
piled up a 37:33 lead at the interval. However
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) and
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) teamed up for an 8:2 surge at the start of the second
half as Germany pulled in front 41:39. Lithuania immediately responded with a
13:2 surge to gain back the lead. The home team ensured a 58:52 lead with one
quarter remaining. Robin Benzing and
Chris Kaman helped Germany level things up at 62 midway through the final
term. The teams traded baskets before
Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) ignited a 8:0 run from the hosts that sealed
their victory.
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college:
Maryland)
posted 17 points, while
Jonas Valanciunas added 15 in the win.
Chris Kaman answered with 25 points and 13 boards for Germany. Robin Benzing
chipped in 18 points, while
Dirk
Nowitzki managed 16 points and 9 rebounds in defeat.
Serbia - Turkey
68-67
Serbia earned a crucial win at the EuroBasket 2011. They overcame Turkey in a
dramatic clash in Vilnius to improve at 2-3 record in Second Round Group E.
Serbia thus clinched the spot in the tournaments quarterfinal. Turkey slipped at
1-4 record and remained without playoffs.
Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) orchestrated the victory tallying 20 points, 8
rebounds and 5 assists. Serbia started the game on a 10:2 run. They maintained
the lead throughout the opening quarter posting an 18:11 advantage ten minutes
into the game.
Milos Teodosic stretched the gap to 14 points midway through the second term
29:15. Turkey however managed to narrow the deficit to 8 points 27:35 at the
interval. Turkey tipped off the second half on a 7:2 surge to narrow the gap.
Serbia did not allow their opponents to pull in front securing a 56:53 lead with
one quarter to go. Turkey got as close as two points with under three minutes to
go 60:62.
Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency:
Beo Basket) and
Milos Teodosic made it 68:63 for Serbia but
Ersan Ilyasova (207-F-87) and Arslan accounted for four points in a row to
keep Turkey hopeful.
Milos Teodosic missed a triple but
Omer
Onan (194-G-78) got his shot blocked and Serbia escaped with a
heart-stopping win at the end.
Dusko Savanovic provided 14 points, while Milenko Tepic contributed 12
points and 8 rebounds in the victory. Enes Kanter and
Omer
Onan answered with 11 points each for Turkey.
Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points and 7 rebounds in defeat.
France - Spain
69-96
Spain claimed the third straight win at the Second Stage of European
Championship. They knocked down France to climb on top of Group E.
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) scored 16 points to lead the effort. France
suffered their first loss at the tournament and slipped to the second position
in the ladder. Spain opened the game with five points in a row but Les Bleus
soon erased the deficit.
Kevin Seraphin (205-F/C-89) accounted for 10 points in the period to put
France in front 22:21. The lead changed hands for several times throughout
intense second frame. Spain had the last laugh though as Sada made it 39:38 at
halftime. The third term turned into a disaster for Les Bleus. Spain opened it
with an 18:2 run to grab a 57:40 advantage. The margin just kept on growing as
Spain entered the fourth frame up by 20 points 68:48. Reyes scored five quick
points as the La Roja stretched the margin and never looked back again.
Rudy
Fernandez (197-G-85) provided 15 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds for Spain.
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) contributed 11 points in the victory.
Kevin Seraphin answered with 18 points for France.
Ali
Traore (207-C-85, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
S.Idaho JC)
delivered 16 points in the loss.
Group F
Slovenia - Finland
67-60
Slovenia booked their European Championship quarterfinal tickets. They overcame
Finland in a decisive clash in Group F. Slovenia improved at 2-3 record, leaving
Finland behind at 1-4 record.
Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college:
Michigan St.)
scored 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds to lead the effort. Slovenia opened the
game with five points in a row but Finland quickly erased the deficit. The teams
traded baskets as Slovenia eked out a 14:12 lead after ten minutes of action.
Zoran Dragic (196-F/G-89) and
Erazem Lorbek put Slovenia in front 22:15 midway through the second term.
Jaka
Lakovic (186-G-78) soon enlarged the margin to 10 points 34:24. Slovenia
secured a 42:28 lead at the interval. Finland cut the deficit igniting a 7:0 run
early in the second half. Slovenia hung on to post a 54:48 advantage with one
quarter remaining.
Erazem Lorbek boosted the gap back to double figures in the fourth term
60:49. However Finland refused to surrender. Trailing by as many as 12 points
with under four minutes to go they organized a 9:1 run that put them within just
four points from Slovenia 60:64.
Erazem Lorbek and Goran Dragic scored three free throws in the dying moments
to seal the victory for Slovenia. Uros Slokar accounted for 13 points and 8
rebounds, while
Jaka
Lakovic added 11 points in the win.
Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) answered with 14 points, while
Shawn Huff (198-G/F-84, college:
Valparaiso)
had 13 points in defeat.
Greece - Georgia
73-60
Greece claimed the third position in Group F of the European Championship. They
wrapped up the Second Round action with victory over Georgia.
Kostas Vasiliadis (200-G/F-84, agency:
FCM) stepped up with 15 points to lead the effort. Georgia fell at 0-5
record after the loss. Greece opened the game with four points in a row but it
was Georgia who finished the quarter on top. They used a 6:0 run at the end of
the period to grab a 13:12 advantage. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the
second period. Georgia stayed in charge as they established a 35:32 lead after
one half of action. However the Hellenes organized an 11:2 run midway through
the third term to take a 48:43 lead. They secured a 51:47 advantage at the final
intermission. Greece tipped off the fourth frame with six points in a row to
make it 57:47. They did not slow down afterwards rolling to a comfortable win at
the end. Ioannis Bourousis knocked down 13 points, while
Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) contributed 10 points in the victory.
Marquez Haynes (191-G-86, college:
Texas
Arlington) and Tornike Shengelia answered with 11 points apiece in the loss.
Russia - FYR Macedonia
63-61
Sergey Monya (203-F-83)'s buzzer beater brings Russia top place in Group F.
Russia surprised FYR Macedonia in the last seconds to win 63:61 and remained the
only undefeated team in the tournament. Stojanovski,
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
and
Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) surprised Russia in the opening tip giving his side 8-0
lead. Russia needed however 5 minutes and then Fridzon tied the game at 11:11.
Antonov gave Russia the first lead, while Shved closed the first period at
20:19, FYR Macedonia. Fridzon nailed three to tie the score at 22:22 early in
the second and Shved scored for 26:23. Vorontsevich and Bykov increased to 7
points, while
Pero
Antic and Chekovski reduced to 30:28. Stojanovski sent the teams to the
lockers at 37:34, Russia. The battle continued in the court in the second half
as well and the teams exchanged another lead several times.
Pero
Antic gave FYR Macedonia 40:39 and Mozgov tied it all at 43:43.
Vlado Ilievski (189-PG-80, agency:
World Sport Agency) later made the same at 49:49, while Shved gave Russia
51:49 after three quarters.
Sergey Monya and again Shved opened the last period for 55:48 and
Sergey Monya nailed three for 58:51. Stojanovski cut it to 4 after the long
shot from the perimeter.
Vlado Ilievski followed him with another shot for 58:57 and Khryapa
increased to three points with 2 minutes in the court.
Bo
McCalebb cut it to 60:59 and Russia needed timeout with 1 minute remaining.
Bo
McCalebb made two free throws for 61:60 lead with 40 seconds and Blatt asked
for another Timeout. Shved top-scored for the winners with 14 points and Fridzon
posted 11. Bykov and Mozgov nailed 8 points apiece in a win.
Bo
McCalebb ended up with 16 points in the losing as FYR Macedonia finished on
the second place.
Pero
Antic collected 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Samardziski notched 9.
Second Round. Results from Day 3 and 4 in Lithuania
- Sep 10, 2011
Group E
Germany - Turkey
73-67
Germany beat Turkey to tie them at 1-3 records in Group E. The German side
needed 73:67 to remain alive for the Quarterfinal spot.
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) and
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) scored the first point s for Germany in the opening tip, but
then the team could score only another two in the rest of the period. Turkey
grabbed 13:6 as Savas closed the first frame from the free throw line. Kanter
gave Turkey 15:6 in the start of the second and he made it later for 22:10.
Germany woke up only at that time and created a 10-0 run for 22:20 when Hamann
nailed a three-pointer. Turkoglu however closed the half at 26:23 making a jump
shot to score his 4th point. Turkey led in the first part of the third quarter,
but
Chris Kaman scored for 34:33. He later tied it all at 38:38, while
Heiko Schaffartzik (182-G-84) brought 41L38.
Chris Kaman delivered two for 46:43 and
Heiko Schaffartzik kept the German side in front after thirty minutes for
48:46.
Dirk
Nowitzki made it 52:49 and Schwethelm added from the perimeter for 55:49.
Again Schwethelm and
Chris Kaman brought 60:52 lead with 4 minutes to go, but Turkey was too far
to give up.
Omer
Asik (213-C-86) scored 9 points in a row to reduce to 64:62, while Preldzic
made two free throws for 67:66. Hamann was also perfect from the free throw line
for 69:66 with 23 seconds remaining. Preldzic scored for 69:67 but then
immediately on
Dirk
Nowitzki. The latter did not leave the chances for Turkey as he made two
free throws for 71:67.
Chris Kaman paced all the winners with 20 points and
Dirk
Nowitzki added 19. Schwethelm notched 14, whilst
Heiko Schaffartzik produced 10.
Omer
Asik nailed 19 in defeat and Kanter posted 11.
Lithuania - France
67-73
Who can stop France? Lithuania just failed in front of more than 10000
spectators. France remained undefeated and improved to 4-0 record on top of
Group E after 73:67 victory. Kaukenas and Songaila brought the first four points
for the hosts and
Joakim Noah (211-F/C-85, college:
Florida)
closed a 5-0 run for France. The latter did not mind to play against the full
arena in Vilnius and Batum scored two free throws for 15:10.
Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) gave the hosts the lead back at 16:15 and
Kahudi closed the frame from the perimeter. France kept Lithuania scoreless for
almost 4 minutes in the start of the second frame and improved to 6 points. De
Colo scored for 26:20 and Batum brought 30:21. Parker scored for 34:27, while
Jasikevicius sent the squads to the lockers for 34:28 at the halftime. The third
quarter completely belonged to Lithuania and they first came closer to the
winners. Kaukenas and Javtokas delivered 5 for 41:39 and
Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) gave them the lead at 42:41.
Jonas Valanciunas scored a free throw and then drove a lay-up for 46:43 with
10 minutes remaining, but then France responded with their power. Trailing 5
points in the start of the last quarter, De Colo gave France 52:50 advantage. He
scored another four points for plus 4 and Parker added two for 60:54. Again
Parker and
Joakim Noah increased to 66:57 and it was clear about the winner. Diaw made
two free throws for 68:62 and
Joakim Noah made the same for the final points of the winning side.
Nando De Colo (202-G-87) stepped up with 21 points and Parker followed him
with 19.
Joakim Noah and Batum scored 9 points apiece.
Simas Jasaitis delivered 13 points in defeat and
Jonas Valanciunas posted 12.
Spain - Serbia
84-59
Spain handed Serbia their third straight loss as the latter fell at 1-3 record
in Group E. Spain meanwhile improved to 3-1 record after 84:59 win. Pau Gasol
scored the first four points in the game and his brother added two for 12:5.
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) and Savanovic exchanged the shots midway through
the first period, while
Juan
Carlos Navarro nailed another three for 18:11. Reyes scored the last three
points in the first quarter to bring 23:14 lead for Spain. Paunic and Savanovic
reduced to 27:20 early in the second, while Pau Gasol made it 31:22.
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) closed an 11-0 run that Spain erupted with in the middle
of the second frame. Serbia meanwhile responded with a 7-0 run and Tepic scored
for 39:29. Savanovic sent the teams to the lockers at 43:32 as Spain won the
second frame 20-18. Pau Gasol and Calderon nailed threes in the start of the
third period to bring 15-point advantage in the game. Spain produced another
13-0 run for 57:34 and it was clear at that time about the winner.
Marc
Gasol made it 59:36 and Rubio scored for 63:40. After 27-17 in the third
quarter Spain enjoyed 70:49 before the last 10 minutes.
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) scored the first 5 points in the final stanza, while
Marc
Gasol scored four in a row for 74:54.
Juan
Carlos Navarro brought 79:58 and Claver made a dunk for 81:59. San Emeterio
scored his first points in the game from the free throw line giving the
defending champions 83:59 lead and then Sada brought the final result in the
game. Pau Gasol top-scored for the winners with 26 points and
Marc
Gasol notched 20.
Juan
Carlos Navarro followed them with 14 points.
Nenad Krstic delivered 12 points in defeat and Savanovic posted 11.
Group F
Georgia - Finland
73-87
Finland registered the first win at the Qualifying Round of 2011 EuroBasket.
They toppled Georgia to keep their hopes of reaching quarterfinals alive. They
improved at 1-3 record in Group F.
Mikko Koivisto (194-G-87, college:
NC-Greensboro) unloaded 14 points to pace Finland. Georgia slipped at 0-4
record after the loss. Finland jumped into an 18:11 lead midway through the
opening frame.
Mikko Koivisto capped the first frame with two free throws to make it 22:13.
Georgia opened the second term on an 8:0 run to narrow the deficit. The teams
stayed close throughout the second frame and Finland entered the second half up
by only 3 points 36:33. Muurinen and
Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) boosted the margin early in the second half.
Finland stayed in control posting a 61:52 lead at the final intermission.
Muurinen and Huff drained back-to-back three-pointers early in the final frame
to stretch the gap. Georgia cut the deficit back to 10 points but could not get
any closer in the reminder of the contest as Finland coasted to the victory.
Tuukka Kotti (205-F/C-81, college:
Providence)
and
Petteri Koponen posted 12 points each for Finland.
Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86) answered with 16 points and 9 rebounds for
Georgia. Giorgi Shermadini had 13 points in the loss.
FYR Macedonia - Slovenia
68-59
FFYR Macedonia recorded the second straight win at the EuroBasket Qualifying
Round. They held off Slovenia to improve at 4-0 record on top of Group F.
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
orchestrated victory with 19 points, 4 boards and 4 assists. Slovenia in the
meantime slipped at 1-3 record and would fight for quarterfinal appearance
against Finland on Monday. FYR Macedonia set the tone early opening the game
with seven unanswered points. FYR Macedonia maintained the lead posting a 20:16
advantage at the first intermission. Slovenia tipped off the second frame with
six unanswered points to surge ahead. But FYR Macedonia quickly regained control
with a 10:0 run midway through the second period. They built a comfortable 39:31
lead at halftime. Slovenia got as close as four points early in the third term
but a triple from Illievski kept FYR Macedonia on top. Slovenia faced a 12-point
deficit heading into the fourth quarter. They never got any closer in the final
frame as FYR Macedonia rallied to the victory at the end.
Vlado Ilievski (189-PG-80, agency:
World Sport Agency) accounted for 14 points, while Vojdan Stojanovski
contributed 11 points in the win.
Goran Dragic (194-PG-86) answered with 20 points for Slovenia. Jaka Lakovic
netted 9 points in defeat.
Greece - Russia
67-83
RRussia clinched the seventh straight win at EuroBasket 2011. They fired past
Greece to improve at 4-0 record on top of Group F. Greece on the hand fell at
2-2 record after the defeat.
Timofey Mozgov (216-C-86, agency:
RIZO) stepped up for the winners scoring 19 points and pulling down 5
boards. The teams traded baskets throughout very close first frame. The Hellenes
snatched a narrow 16:15 lead after ten minutes of action. The teams continued to
stay neck and neck throughout the second frame. Greece earned a 38:33 lead late
in the period but Russia answered with a 9:1 run to post a 42:39 halftime lead.
David Blatt team used a 6:0 run midway through the third term to gain a 58:49
lead. They arrived at the final intermission up by as many as 8 points 65:57.
Kostas Koufos (213-C/F-89, college:
Ohio St.)
dragged Greece within five points midway through the fourth frame but Monya
drained a pair triples in a 10:0 run from Russia as they cleared off for good in
this one. Shved delivered 15 points, while
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) added 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for
the winners.
Kostas Koufos answered with 15 points for Greece. Nikolaos Zisis and Antonis
Fotsis netted 10 points each in the loss.
Second Round. Results and Stats from Day 1 and 2 in
Vilnius - Sep 8,
2011
Group E
Serbia - Lithuania
90-100
Lithuania scored three-digit number to beat Serbia 100:90 in their start of the
Second Round. Serbia and Lithuania entered the court last at the opening day of
the Second Round. Newly created Group E brought as much interest as expected.
Mantas Kalnietis (196-G-86, agency:
Interperformances) opened the game from the perimeter, while
Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency:
Beo Basket) gave Serbia 6:3.
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) drove a lay-up for 10:7 and he increased later to
12:7. Jasaitis nailed three to tie the game at 14:14 and
Milenko Tepic made the same at 20:20.
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college:
Maryland)
and Macvan were the last players to score for their teams for 26:24 at the end
of the first period.
Mantas Kalnietis increased the lead to 4 points early in the second and
Jankunas scored for 35:30.
Mantas Kalnietis gave one of the biggest lead in the first half as Lithuania
enjoyed 43:34 midway through the second frame. Serbia actually reduced a bit,
while Songaila and Kaukenas sent the squads to the lockers for 54:44 halftime
advantage.
Mantas Kalnietis gave the hosts plus 13 in the start of the third quarter
and
Mantas Kalnietis brought 63:53.
Sarunas Jasikevicius scored his 14th point from the free throw line to make
67:56. Both teams managed to score 24 points in the third quarter that brought
78:68 at the end of thirty minutes. When
Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) closed a 6-0 run in the start of the fourth
quarter it became clear that the hosts would benefit from the game. Pocius
scored for 86:73 and Jankunas delivered three for 90:79.
Nenad Krstic and Kaukenas exchanged the shots for 93:81 and Javtokas made it
95:81 with 3 minutes to go. Jasaitis made a dunk for 97:83, while
Jonas Valanciunas brought three-digit number.
Mantas Kalnietis poured in 19 points and
Jonas Valanciunas added 18.
Sarunas Jasikevicius delivered 14, while Pocius and Jankunas netted 13 each.
Nenad Krstic replied with 21 points for Serbia that suffered their second
loss in a row.
Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) and
Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency:
Beo Basket) notched 16 apiece and
Milenko Tepic posted 12.
Germany - Spain
68-77 Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) is back to the Second-Round-Win opener over Germany. His
brother however was the top-scorer in the important win over the German team,
77:68. Spain started with 4 consecutive points and Fernandez scored for 6:3.
Germany however replied for 7:6 as
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) made a jump shot.
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) nailed three for 12:8, but Spain replied with 7-0 run.
Later Schaffartzik nailed three for 15:15 and Gasol made one free throw to close
the first quarter. Herber made the score 18:18 and San Emeterio closed an 8-0
run for 26:18, but v responded for 27:26 lead for Germany. Navarro and
Chris Kaman later scored for 29:29 and Fernandez brought 33:29. Herber tied
the game at 33:33 on the board, while
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) gave Spain 36:33.
Pau
Gasol started the scoring account in the third quarter and opened it with 3
consecutive points.
Pau
Gasol made a three-pointer later in the quarter for 42:37, while
Marc
Gasol improved to 50:41. It seemed it was the decisive part of the game, but
Germany again reduced the gap.
Dirk
Nowitzki closed the third quarter at 56:55 as Germany won the frame 22-20.
Dirk
Nowitzki and San Emeterio exchanged the shots in the start of the fourth
quarter. The latter added two more free throws for 60:57 and Fernandez increased
the lead to 5 points.
Chris Kaman and
Pau
Gasol remained the difference the same with 7 minutes to go, while again
Chris Kaman and San Emeterio brought 66:61. Schaffartzik cut it to 3 and ask
Spain to call for a Timeout. Navarro nailed a three-pointer for plus 5 with 3
minutes and then it was German time to call for Timeout.
Chris Kaman cut it to 68:65, while
Pau
Gasol made it 70:65.
Marc
Gasol added another two for 7-point advantage and it became clear at that
time about the winner. Benzing cut it to 74:68 and
Pau
Gasol scored for 77:68.
Marc
Gasol stepped up with 24 points and
Pau
Gasol added 19. Navarro notched 14, while San Emeterio added 12.
Dirk
Nowitzki netted 19 in defeat and
Chris Kaman posted 15.
Turkey - France
64-68
France remained perfect at Eurobasket 2011 and won their opener of the Second
Round. One of the favorites outscored Turkey 68:64.
Hidayet Turkoglu (206-F-79) and
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) opened the game for their teams and Onan made two
shots from the arc for 10:2 lead.
Nicolas Batum and Seraphin reduced to 12:11, while
Nicolas Batum closed the period at 14:12.
Emir
Preldzic (206-F-87, agency:
Beo Basket) and Savas surprised Turkey for 18:12 early in the second but the
latter did not give up. France replied with a 7-0 run and Pietrus made it 19:18
for his side. Traore tied the game at 20:20 and Kanter made the same at 25:25.
The teams continued to struggle hard in the court, while
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) sent them both to the lockers for 31:27. Noah made two
free throws early in the third for 35:28., while Ilyasova reduced to 36:32.
Tony
Parker made sure the things went alright making 43:35 and Kahudi scored for
45:37. Again Kahudi and Gelabale closed the third quarters from the long range
and brought the biggest lead in the quarter at 57:44. Traore made it plus 15
early in the fourth, but Turkey however was too far to give up. Ilyasova scored
for 60:51 and Arslan reduced to 63:56. Turkey also scored six more points for
63:61, while
Tony
Parker increased to 4 points with 18 seconds to go.
Emir
Preldzic cut it to 65:63 with 7 seconds remaining, but again
Tony
Parker brought the final success for the favorites.
Tony
Parker top-scored for the winners with 20 points and
Nicolas Batum added 13. Kahudi notched 8, whilst Noah nailed 7.
Hidayet Turkoglu posted 13 in the losing effort and
Emir
Preldzic notched 11.
Group F
Georgia - FYR Macedonia
63-65 Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
lifted FYR Macedonia up to 3-0 record in Group F as his team overcame Pachulia-less
Georgia 65:63. The final shot with 2 seconds in the game was decisive for
Bo
McCalebb.
Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86) and
Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-C/F-83) gave Georgia 5:0 lead and Markoishvili
scored for 9:4.
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) and
Bo
McCalebb reduced to 9:8 and
Vojdan Stojanovski (193-G-87) gave the first advantage for his side.
Tsintsadze meanwhile closed the first quarter at 13:12, FYR Macedonia.
Pero
Antic and
Bo
McCalebb opened the second frame for 18:12 and
Vojdan Stojanovski increased to 10 points advantage.
Viktor Sanikidze and Boisa cut it to 25:23, while
Nikoloz Tskitishvili sent the squads to the lockers for 29:26. Boisa and
Ilievski exchanged the shots early in the third that gave FYR Macedonia 32:28.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili meanwhile tied the game at 32:32 and it was him to give
Georgia 35:34 lead.
Bo
McCalebb and
Vojdan Stojanovski brought the control back to FYR Macedonia as the latter
had 42L37 midway through the third quarter. Sokolov increased to 47:38 and
Samardziski made a jump shot for 51:38.
Bo
McCalebb later closed the stanza at 54:44. Georgia however did not give up
and made a huge comeback. They opened the fourth stanza with an 8-0 run and
Shengelia scored for 54:52. Markoishvili later made two free throws for 63:58
and
Nikoloz Tskitishvili brought 63:61 with a minute to go. Moreover after
Ilievski missed a shot and
Pero
Antic had a foul,
Nikoloz Tskitishvili tied the game at 63:63.
Bo
McCalebb however deserved to be named MVP of the game made the last shot for
65:63 and brought another victory for FYR Macedonia.
Bo
McCalebb erupted with 27 points for the winners as his side is now with
surprising 3-0 record in Group F.
Vojdan Stojanovski and
Pero
Antic followed him with 8 each.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili answered with 20 points and 10 rebounds in defeat and
Viktor Sanikidze scored 15.
Finland - Russia
60-79
Russia solved the Scandinavian puzzle and overcame the surprising Finland that
reached Second Round after amazing theoretical events on the last day of the
Preliminary Round. Russia remained perfect and produced a 79:60 victory.
Gerald Lee (208-F-87, college:
ODU) and
Teemu Rannikko (189-G-80) gave the Scandinavian team the lead at 5:2, while
Koponen made it 9:8.
Shawn Huff (198-G/F-84, college:
Valparaiso)
surprised Russia for 11:8 and
Teemu Rannikko later brought 14:14. Russia meanwhile scored the last four
points in the end of the quarter for 18:14 advantage. Moreover Russia continued
their lead in the start of the second and reached 23:14 early in the second.
Bykov and Khryapa increased to 28:18, while Khryapa closed the half at 33:20. As
a result Finland managed to score only 6 points in the second frame and trailed
13 points at the halftime. Russia made the things clear in the third quarter and
went on a bigger lead. Bykov scored four in a row for 42:26 and
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) increased to plus 18. Vorontsevich and again
Andrei Kirilenko made it 52:30 and Monya scored for 54:35. The latter also
closed the third period at 59:38. Koponen opened the last frame from the
perimeter and Nikkila scored for 67:47. At some points it seemed the
Scandinavian team started to play better at the end and actually it was
remarkable on the board when they produced 22-20 in the last stanza. Virtanen
was the last player to score for Finland to reduce to 15, while Fridzon scored 4
consecutive points for the final success.
Andrei Kirilenko poured in 14 points for the winners and Shved added 12.
Vorontsevich and
Timofey Mozgov (216-C-86, agency:
RIZO) followed them with 11 points each.
Shawn Huff delivered 14 in the losing effort, while
Gerald Lee and
Teemu Rannikko posted 11 apiece.
Slovenia - Greece
60-69
Greece opened the EuroBasket 2011 Qualifying Round with victory. They held off
Slovenia in Group F opener. The victory propelled the Hellenes to 2-1 record in
the ladder.
Nikolaos Zisis (196-G-83) came up with 19 points and 5 rebounds to pace the
winning side. Slovenia fell at 1-2 record after the loss. Slovenia opened the
game with four points in a row but Greece soon erased the deficit. They jumped
into an 18:13 lead after ten minutes of action. The Hellenes used an 11:0 run
early in the second term to post a 29:15 advantage. They controlled the
situation establishing a 37:25 halftime lead. Slovenia recovered in the third
term.
Zoran Dragic (196-F/G-89) and
Jaka
Lakovic (186-G-78) helped to narrow the deficit and then Smodis hit a triple
to put his team in front 46:44. The teams exchanged baskets for the bigger part
of the fourth frame. But Ioannis Bourousis and
Nikolaos Zisis knocked down five points in a row as Greece earned a 61:57
lead with just over a minute remaining.
Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) and
Nikolaos Zisis drained triples inside the final minute to carry Greece to
the victory. Ioannis Bourousis scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while
Nick Calathes (198-G-89, college:
Florida),
Antonis Fotsis and
Michael Bramos (196-G/F-87, college:
Miami, OH)
posted 7 points each in the win.
Jaka
Lakovic answered with 14 points for Slovenia.
Zoran Dragic and
Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college:
Michigan St.)
netted 10 points each in defeat.
The End of the Preliminary Round in Lithuania
- Sep 6, 2011
Group A
United Kingdom - Poland
88-81
Great Britain shocked Poland 88:81 and did not allow them to advance to Second
Round. Both teams finished with 2-3 records however gave Turkey the last ticket
to the Second Round. Poland shocked Turkey last night and after that game all
three teams including Great Britain had chances for the third place to advance
to Second Round. Great Britain however needed a massive victory against the
Poles in their last group game on Monday to maintain those hopes.
Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
Washington
St.) and
Joel
Freeland (208-F-87) exchanged the early leads and the latter gave Great
Britain 8:2 in the opening tip. Poland needed an 8-0 run to tie the game at
12:12 and Berisha later made it for 14:14. Koszarek and Archibald closed the
first period with jump shots for 18:17, Great Britain. Berisha gave Poland 23:22
early in the second, while Clark scored for 31:26. Great Britain looked great in
the end of the period and
Luol
Deng (201-F-85, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Duke)
made five consecutive points for 39:31 lead at the halftime.
Joel
Freeland increased to 42:31 early in the third, but Koszarek reduced to
42:37.
Joel
Freeland and
Luol
Deng made it 46:37 and Szewczyk scored four in a row for 46:41. Moreover
Adam
Hrycaniuk (208-C-84, college:
Cincinnati)
reduced to 49:47 with 4 minutes in the third quarter. Again
Luol
Deng brought 53:48, while Koszarek delivered 6 points in arrow for Poland to
give his side 56:53.
Luol
Deng made two free throws to close the third period at 55:56.
Joel
Freeland and
Thomas Kelati exchanged the shot for 62:61 and
Luol
Deng scored his 25th point for 64:61. Reinking and Clark brought 69:63 and
Thomas Kelati reduced to 71:68 with 6 minutes to go. Lenzly tied the game at
75:75 and Berisha gave Poland 78:75 with three minutes remaining. Lenzly replied
from the arc for Great Britain and gave them 1-point lead.
Joel
Freeland made an alley-oop for 80:77 and Poland needed timeout with 2
minutes to play.
Luol
Deng increased to 82:77 but
Adam
Hrycaniuk cut it to just three. Reinking and
Luol
Deng brought 88:79 and
Adam
Hrycaniuk made the final result in the game.
Luol
Deng and
Joel
Freeland combined for 55 points to lead all the winners. Berisha posted 19
in defeat and
Adam
Hrycaniuk as well as Koszarek netted 15 each.
Spain - Turkey
57-65
Turkey confirmed their high ambitions for the EuroBasket tournament with a
stunning win over previously undefeated Spain. Turkey shocked their opponents in
the fourth frame to steal a key victory. The winners improved at 3-2 record and
booked the place in the Qualifying Round. Spain slipped at 4-1 record on top of
Group A.
Emir
Preldzic (206-F-87, agency:
Beo Basket) stepped up with 18 points to lead the effort. Spain opened the
game with a 5:0 run. They stayed in charge in the opening quarter posting a
19:10 lead ten minutes into the game.
Emir
Preldzic erupted for 11 points in the second quarter to keep Turkey within
striking distance. They ensured a 38:35 halftime lead. Spain maintained the lead
throughout the third term. They secured a 55:49 advantage with one quarter to
go. But a drastic change came in the fourth period.
Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) opened the period with a jumper but then Turkey
kept their opponents scoreless for almost nine minutes going on a 16:0 run and
celebrating an impressive win at the end. Omer Asik and Hidayet Turkoglu posted
12 points each, while
Ender Arslan (190-G-83) added 10 points in the victory.
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) answered with 12 points for Spain.
Rudy
Fernandez (197-G-85) and
Felipe Reyes had 11 points each in the loss.
Portugal - Lithuania
69-98
Lithuania smashed Portugal 98:86 in the last game of the Preliminary Round at
Eurobasket 2011. The home side produced an easy 98:69 victory to send Portugal
home with 0-5 record. The hosts, who had clinched second spot in Group A ahead
of the game, will advance to Round Two in Vilnius with a 1-1 record. Lithuania
easily took the lead, but first Santos made a three for 12:12. The hosts
responded with 12-0 run to take 24:12 after
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college:
Maryland)'s
jump shot.
Ksistof Lavrinovic (210-C-79) and Minhava exchanged the late baskets in the
first period for 28:16. Portugal had nothing to lose and created a great second
frame.
Filipe Da Silva (192-G-79) tied the game at 35:35 as Portugal dominated the
second quartet. After 19-13 in it, Portugal trailed 6 points at the halftime.
The second half however completely belonged to Lithuania. They needed 27-15 in
the third quarter as the board showed 68:50 after thirty minutes. Another 30-19
in the last quarter brought the final result in the game.
Martynas Pocius (196-G-86, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Duke) and
Sarunas Jasikevicius poured in 14 points each, while
Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college:
Seton Hall)
netted 13 and Jasaitis scored 12. Andrade ended up with 16 points in the losing
effort and Tavares chipped in 14.
Group B
Serbia - France
96-97 OT
France remained perfect at the Eurobasket 2011.
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) and Co edged Serbia 97:96 in overtime to win Group B. The
game between France and Serbia was one of the most expected in the last day of
the Preliminary Round. Both teams entered the game undefeated and struggled in
the court to stay perfect. Savanovic and Batum brought the first points for
their teams, while
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) gave Serbia 9:4. Again
Nenad Krstic and
Marko Keselj (205-F-88, agency:
Beo Basket) scored for 17:12, while
Tony
Parker and
Joakim Noah (211-F/C-85, college:
Florida)
reduced to 19:16.
Tony
Parker scored later six in a row for his side and gave France 22:21 lead.
Tepic however was the last to score in the first period to bring the lead back
for Serbia at 25:24. Bjelica and Macvan remained Serbia in front at 29:28 and
Marko Keselj scored for 31:30.
Tony
Parker tied the game at 36:36 and Diaw brought four for 43:38. Teodosic
however sent the teams to the lockers at 43:41 as he made three free throws in
the end of the second frame. Perovic tied it at 43:43, while Seraphin and
Tony
Parker gave France 52:44.
Marko Keselj and
Nenad Krstic reduced to 52:49, while Macvan closed a 13-0 run for Serbia and
gave them 57:52. Kahudi and
Joakim Noah gave France back the lead at 62:61 and Rasic closed the period
at 64:62, Serbia. The teams stayed too close to each other in the fourt frame
and each of them deserved the final win.
Nenad Krstic made the final two free throws with 10 seconds in the fourth
period for 80:80.
Tony
Parker could bring the win for France but sent the teams to overtime. In
extra time the teams played very offensive and scored 33 points in just 5
minutes. The lead changed more than usual and Gelabale gave France 93:891 with a
minute to go. Savanovic and
Marko Keselj gave Serbia 96:95, but France had Mr
Tony
Parker. The latter made two free throws for the final success.
Tony
Parker poured in 24 points for the winners and Batum netted 18. Diaw chipped
in 15, while
Joakim Noah scored 14.
Marko Keselj delivered 25 points in the losing effort and
Nenad Krstic posted 22. Rasic and Teodosic scored 11 points each in defeat.
Latvia - Germany
80-81
Germany had a narrow escape against Latvia for the third win at the European
Championship.
Heiko Schaffartzik (182-G-84) drained a key three-pointer late in the game
to seal the victory for Germany. The winners improved at 3-2 record and occupied
the third position in Group B. Latvia suffered the fifth straight defeat at the
tournament. Germany opened the game with seven points in a row. They soon
grabbed a 13:3 lead but Latvia closed the period strongly to narrow the gap to
just a single point 14:15. Freimanis put Latvia in front midway through the
second term. The teams went to and fro before Tibor Pleiss tied things up at 33
at halftime. Germany surged in front midway through the third term. Tibor Pleiss
stepped up with five points late in the period to give Germany a 56:48 lead into
the fourth frame. However Latvia went on a 14:3 run to grab a 71:67 advantage
with just over three minutes remaining. They still led by two points 80:78 with
18 seconds remaining before
Heiko Schaffartzik drained a triple and sealed the win for Germany.
Robin Benzing (208-F-89),
Heiko Schaffartzik, Tibor Pleiss,
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) and
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) delivered 11 points each to lead the effort.
Rihards Kuksiks (198-G/F-88) responded with 27 points for Latvia. Dairis
Bertans had 15 points in the loss.
Israel - Italy
96-95 OT
Israel needed overtime to beat Italy in the last game for both teams in Group B
of Eurobasket 2011. Israel failed in the fourth period but managed to grab 96:95
overtime victory.
David Blu (201-F-80, college:
USC)
gave Israel the first lead, while
Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-85) brought the first points for the Italian squad.
Mordente gave his side 10:8 and Hackett as well as
Andrea Bargnani's threes gave Italy 18:15. Israel trailed 4 points with one
minute to go in the first, but Pnini closed a 5-0 run for 27:26 lead at the end
of the first period. Datome tied the game at 29:29 but Israel erupted with
another 10-0 run to take 39:29 midway through the second frame.
Marco Belinelli (196-G-86) and
Andrea Bargnani however cut it to 40:36 and Gallinari reduced to 44:41.
Meanwhile
David Blu and Nissim ensured 49:41 halftime advantage for Israel. The latter
did not even think of slowing down and won the third period 30-19. Ohayon gave
Israel 79:60 with just 10 minutes left in the court. Italy however shocked the
opponents in the start of the fourth period and erupted with 18-0 run.
Andrea Bargnani scored throughout the run at 79:73 with 3 minutes to play.
Hackett and
Stefano Mancinelli (203-F-83) cut it to 79:76 and again Hackett made it
79:78 with less than a minute to play.
Gal
Mekel (194-PG-88, college:
Wichita St.)
broke the silence for Israel at 80:78 from the free throw line with 16 seconds
to go. Gallinari nailed three for 82:81 and
Andrea Bargnani tied the game at 84:84 sending the teams to overtime.
David Blu gave Israel 86:84 and later he scored for 88:85. Green and Pnini
delivered five for 93:89, but
Andrea Bargnani and Cinciarini scored for 95:95. Green however made one free
throw to seal the victory with Israel. Pnini paced all the winners with 22
points and
David Blu scored 17. Eliyahu delivered 16, while Halperin and Kadir posted
10 each.
Andrea Bargnani finished the thriller with 26 points, while Gallinari added
19.
Group C
Greece - Croatia
74-69
Greece won over Croatia in Group C of Eurobasket 2011. The Greek side improved
to 4-1 record after 74:69 win and advanced to the Second Round. Both sides knew
victory would secure their spot, but a disappointing Croatia side was simply
blown away during the opening two quarters. Koufos scored for 14:8 and Fotsis
brought 18:10. Vasileiadis made two free throws at the end of the frame for
25:13. Vasileiadis gave Greece plus 19 and
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency:
FCM) scored for 40:23. Vasileiadis later gave the biggest lead for his team
at 43:23 and Andric closed the half at 44:27. Croatia had nothing to lose and
produced an excellent second half. They managed to win the third period 18-14
and reduced to 13 points when
Stanko Barac (217-C-86) closed the third at 58:45. Moreover a 6-0 run gave
Croatia 58:51 and
Stanko Barac cut it to 60:55. Tomic and Popovic brought Croatia within 4
points and the latter educed to 69:67. Greece however did not allow them to win
the game. Vasileiadis made two last free throws for the final result.
Vasileiadis and Fotsis top-scored for the winners with 17 points each, while
Ioannis Bourousis added 11. Zisis and
Nick Calathes (198-G-89, college:
Florida)
followed them with 9 points each. Popovic and
Stanko Barac posted 14 points each in defeat, whilst Simon added 11 and
Tomic had 10.
Finland - Montenegro
71-65
Finland advanced to the Second Round after the victory over Montenegro 71:65 in
the first game of the last day in Group C. Both teams entered the court with 1-3
records and hoped to leave the last spot of Group C. Only pride was on the line
for Montenegro when they prepare to sign off their EuroBasket 2011 campaign in
Alytus knowing they are the only team in Group C without a shot of making it to
Round 2.
Henrik
Dettmann 's Finland had to beat Montenegro and then sawif both Greece and
F.Y.R. of Macedonia win their games.
Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency:
Beo Basket) and Huff were the first players to score for their teams.
Koponen and
Tuukka Kotti (205-F/C-81, college:
Providence)
gave the Scandinavian team 7:4, while Salin scored for 19:12.
Tuukka Kotti made two free throws at the end of the period to bring his side
25:14 at the end of the frame. In the second quarter Montenegro started to play
better and as a result Dasic tied the game at 28:28. Jeretin made the same at
31:31 and then he made another free throw for 1-point lead.
Vladimir Dragicevic (206-C/F-86) brought his side 38:34, while Salin sent
the teams to the lockers at 40:36, Montenegro. Montenegro started the third
quarter netter and Vucevic gave his side 49:42. Finladn replied with a 7-0 run
and Rannikko tied the game at 49:49. Koivisto nailed three for 52:51 and
Antti
Nikkila (210-F/C-78, college:
Valparaiso)
made two free throws for 54:53. Finland continued to dominate and Lee scored for
65:58.
Tuukka Kotti and Bjelica scored free throws for 66:63 and Koponen gave the
Scandinavian team 68:65 with less than 2 minutes in the fourth period. Virtanen
made three free throws for 6-point victory. Lee paced all the winners with 12
points, while
Tuukka Kotti netted 11 and Koponen scored 10.
Nikola Pekovic ended up with 16 points in the losing effort, while
Milos Borisov (201-F-85) had 14.
FYR Macedonia - Bosnia
75-63
Bosnia and Herzegovina failed in their bid to reach Round 2 with defeat against
F.Y.R. of Macedonia to send surprising Finland to Vilnius.
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) gave the winners 2:0 lead and Ilievski brought 7:3.
Bosnia and Herzegovina replied with 7-0 and Kikanovic scored for 10:7. The teams
exchanged several more baskets in the rest of the quarter for 17:16, Bosnia.
Teletovic tied the game at 23:23 and Vasiljevic made the same at 29:29.
Teletovic and Gordic gave Bosnia 35:31 and Domercant sent the squads to the
lockers at 38:35. The second half however was fatal for Bosnia and Herzegovina
and the last in Eurobasket 2011. F.Y.R. of Macedonia opened the third quarter
with 13-0 run and
Pero
Antic delivered for 49:38. Stojanovski made four in a row for 53:42 and
Nihad Dedovic (196-F-90, agency:
Beo Basket) replied with consecutive five points to close the third at
53:47. Samardziski and
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
gave the winners 57:51, while
Pero
Antic and
Bo
McCalebb made the things clear in the court for 64:57. Gechevski brought the
last points for the winners and sent Bosnia and Herzegovina packing.
Bo
McCalebb stepped up with 22 points as his team won Group C.
Pero
Antic followed him with 15 points and 14 boards, while Gechevski scored 13.
Nihad Dedovic ended up with 15 points in defeat and Bajramovic added 12.
Group D
Ukraine - Belgium
74-61
Neither team had a chance to qualify to the next round but both got pride.
Belgium opened the game with 6:1 lead, while
Sam
Van Rossom (188-G-86) made it 10:3. Lishchuk reduced to 13:5, while Faison
gave the biggest lead for Belgium at plus 11. Ukraine erupted with a 17-0 run as
Alexander Kolchenko (198-F/G-88, agency:
Beo Basket) closed the run at 22:16. From that time Ukraine started to
dominate the court and won the game. Kravtsov and
Steve Bertt (185-G-84, college:
Iona)
made it 33:21, while Pecherov made his 13th points at 36:21, while Kravtsov
brought 41:24. Mbenga and
Steve Bertt exchanged the late baskets in the end of the half for 43:26 on
the board. Zabirchenko and Kravtsov brought 47:29, while
Steve Bertt scored for 53:31 midway through the third quarter. Van Den
Spiegel reduced to 53:33 and Lauwers scored for 64:45.
Denys Lukashov (190-G-89) and again Lauwers scored for 69:48, whilst Lypovyy
nailed three for 72:50. Mbenga made the last points for Begium and closed it at
minus 13. Pecherov paced all the winners with 15 points, while Kravtsov
collected 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Alexander Kolchenko scored 10 and
Steve Bertt added 9.
Sam
Van Rossom delivered 17 and Lauwers notched 13.
Georgia - Bulgaria
69-79
Georgia just needed any victory to finish third at the Eurobasket 2011 Group D.
Bulgaria needed a 14-point or higher win, and anything below that will send
Georgia to celebrate. Bulgaria won 79:69 and now two teams are with 2-3 records.
Bulgaria hold the tie-breaker advantage, having won the game, however yet things
can get more complicated considering the last game of the round between Ukraine
and Belgium. In case Ukraine win they would join Georgia and Bulgaria to create
a three-way tie in which only the last two still have a chance to go through.
Zaza
Pachulia (212-C-84) and
Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86) gave Georgia 7:5 and Markoishvili scored three
for 10:7. Rowland and Marinov scored to 15:11, while Bulgaria finished the
quarter with 11-0 run and remained the opponents scoreless for a long time.
Haynes broke the silence for the Georgian side and Shengelia scored for 22:21
and
Zaza Pachulia scored for 29:27. Shengelia and again
Zaza
Pachulia brought 33:28, while Rowland erupted with two shots from a long
distance to reduce to 1 point.
Zaza
Pachulia sent the teams to the lockers at 37:34 as Georgia won the second
period 22-15. Rowland tied the game at 37:37 early in the third.
Zaza
Pachulia, Boisa and
Viktor Sanikidze made it 43:37 and Ivanov needed four consecutive points for
43:41. Rowland tied the game at 46:46 bringing his team his 18th point. Rowland
scored also for 50:50 and Ivanov made it 52:52, while after Haynes closed the
third period at 55:52. Boisa gave his side 59:54 and Haynes as well as
Viktor Sanikidze scored for 63:57.
Filip Videnov (196-F/G-80, agency:
Interperformances, college:
W.Kentucky)
and Ivanov delivered five for 65:62 and Rowland reduced to 67:65. Moreover
Rowland and Ivanov gave Bulgaria 70:67 with 2 minutes remaining. Ivanov and
Bozhidar Avramov (196-G-90, agency:
Interperformances) continued the run for Bulgaria that took 74:67 win with a
minute to go.
Filip Videnov increased to 2 more and
Bozhidar Avramov made the final result in the game. Rowland led the way with
25 points for the winners and Kaloyan Ivanov notched 15. Dejan Ivanov followed
them with 12 points for the important victory.
Viktor Sanikidze produced 18 points in defeat and Haynes netted 15.
Slovenia - Russia
64-65
Russia finished the Preliminary Round with a perfect 5-0 record and won Group D.
The team needed 65:64 victory over Slovenia to hand them their first loss.
Russia trailed in 39 minutes and 49 seconds but needed last 11 seconds for the
final successful shot. Slovenia scored the first 7 points in the game and Lorbek
scored five in a row for 12:7. Slokar increased to 17:8, while Fridzon closed
the first period at 19:16. No matter how hard Russia tried to recover they
trailed in the whole half. Begic scored for 34:27 and Lorbek nailed three for
40:34. It was the last shot in the second period as Slovenia enjoyed 6-point
advantage at the halftime. Dragic gave his side double digit lead and Smodis
scored for 46:39.
Andrey Vorontsevich (204-C-87) and
Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) reduced to 49:45, while
Semen Antonov (202-F-89) brought 53:51. The latter also closed the third
period at 55:53, but then Russia did their best in the last one. They also
trailed in the whole last period but with 11 seconds to go Monya gave the first
and the last lead for Russia that celebrated the victory.
Andrey Vorontsevich paced all the winners with 18 points and
Viktor Khryapa notched 10.
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81)o followed them with 8 points and three other
teammates scored 5 apiece. Lorbek ended up with 14 points in the losing effort,
while Lakovic and Ozbolt scored 8 each.
Results and Stats from Day 5 in Lithuania
- Sep 5, 2011
Group A
Lithuania - Spain
79-91
Spain won Group A of Eurobasket 2011 with even one more game remaining. The
defending champions cruised past the hosts 91:79 in the most expected game so
far of the tournament.
Jose
Manuel Calderon (190-PG-81) (190-PG-81) opened the game from the long
distance and Jankunas responded for 5:5. Javtokas brought Lithuania the first
lead at 7:6 and unfortunately for the hosts it was the last one in the game.
Spain erupted with 18-0 run to take 22:7.
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) was very active in the end of the quarter and
closed it for 31:12 as it was his 15th points already. Reyes and
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) started the second period with 7-0 surge and Llull scored
for 41:16.
Jose
Manuel Calderon made two threes for 49:21 and Fernandez brought 54:27. Again
Juan
Carlos Navarro and then
Pau
Gasol from the arc made it selfish 62:36 at the halftime for the defending
champions. Fernandez and
Pau
Gasol made it 67:36 early in the third as Spain did not even think of
slowing down. Martynas Pocius and Kalnietis answered from the perimeter, while
Pau
Gasol made another three-pointer for 72:44. Lithuania created a 9-2 run as
Jasikevicius made it 74:53. Jasaitis and
Juan
Carlos Navarro exchanged the late baskets in the third as Spain had 81:56
entering the last period. Lithuania started with a 6-0 run to reduce to 81:62
and Kalnietis scored for 87:66.
Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) scored for 87:70, while Jasikevicius delivered
for 91:76. Delininkaitis made it even 91:79 as it became the last shot in the
game.
Juan
Carlos Navarro paced all the guests with 22 points and
Pau
Gasol notched 17.
Serge Ibaka (208-C/F-89) posted 15, while
Jose
Manuel Calderon delivered 12.
Jonas Valanciunas answered with 13 points in defeat, while
Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college:
Seton Hall)
and Martynas Pocius scored 11 apiece.
Poland - Turkey
84-83
Poland shocked Turkey to take the third position in Group A. The victory can be
decisive for the last (third) spot to the Second Round from the group.
Dardan Berisha (192-G-88, agency:
Global Sports Plaza) brought 84:83 victory as both teams are with 2-2 record
after day 4 in Eurobasket. Poland had the first lead in the game as Hrycaniuk
made a jump shot. Ilyasova brought 5:4 for Turkey that was the favorite of the
game after three days of campaign.
Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) meanwhile scored four in a row for 15:9 and
Emir
Preldzic (206-F-87, agency:
Beo Basket) closed the first period at 17:14.Dardan
Berisha kept Poland in front after a three-pointer and he made it also
23:18.
Emir
Preldzic and
Hidayet Turkoglu (206-F-79) cut it to 26:25 and Tunceri reduced to 32:31.
Poland stayed in front for the whole time and Hrycaniuk sent the teams to the
lockers for 39:35. Onan however tied the game at 43:43and Asik gave his side
45:43.
Hidayet Turkoglu made two free throws for 52:48 and it was Poland to catch
up later in the game.
Szymon Szewczyk scored for 60:62, while his another two points tied the
clash at 62:62.
Emir
Preldzic gave Turkey 70:66 and he again scored for 75:68.
Szymon Szewczyk and Koszarek nailed from the long range for 75:75 with less
than 4 minutes in the fourth period. Ilyasova scored four in a row for 79:75 and
then
Dardan Berisha and Pamula gave Poland 82:81.
Enes Kanter (208-C-92, college:
Kentucky)
tied the game at 82:82 with 30 seconds remaining and his another free throw gave
Turkey 83:82.
Dardan Berisha made it 84:83 with 12 seconds as Turkey needed the immediate
timeout. Tunceri tried to bring the victory for Turkey but missed a three
pointer.
Dardan Berisha led the charge with 21 points and Hrycaniuk netted 15.
Szymon Szewczyk delivered 12, while
Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
Washington
St.) chipped in 11.
Enes Kanter ended up with 19 points in defeat and Ilyasova posted 14.
Hidayet Turkoglu finished the game with 13 points and
Emir
Preldzic nailed 11.
United Kingdom - Portugal
85-73
Great Britain opened win count at 2011 EuroBasket. They overcame Portugal to
improve at 1-3 record in Group A.
Luol
Deng (201-F-85, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Duke)
stepped up with impressive 31 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the
charge. Portugal slipped at 0-4 record after the loss. Great Britain jumped to
an 8:2 lead after ten minutes of action. But Portugal bounced back and levelled
things up at 16 after ten minutes of action.
Luol
Deng scored 8 points in a row midway through the second term to give Great
Britain a 26:19 lead. Soon Freeland opened a double-digit lead for Great Britain
and they established a 44:34 halftime advantage. Great Britain just kept on
clearing off in the third term and posted a 59:45 lead into the fourth frame.
Carlos
Andrade (197-F-78, college:
Queens, NC)
dragged Portugal within 7 points midway through the final quarter but
Nathan Reinking (188-G-73, college:
Kent St.)
and
Luol Deng came up with timely points to silence their opponents.
Michael Lenzly (189-G-81, college:
Wofford)
stepped up with 17 points, while
Nathan Reinking added 9 points in the victory.
Carlos
Andrade answered with 24 points and 10 boards for Portugal.
Miguel Minhava (197-G-83) posted 18 points in the loss.
Group B
Germany - Serbia
64-75
Serbia remained perfect in Eurobasket 2011 as they handed Germany their second
loss in a row. Serbia needed 75:64 to grab 4-0 record and will meet France for
the first place in the group tomorrow. Germany failed from the very beginning
and allowed Serbia to go on 9-0 run. It was still the memory from the awful game
against France that demolished the German team few days ago.
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) and
Heiko Schaffartzik (182-G-84) however reduced to 9:7, but Keselj made two
three-pointers for 17:7. Herber closed the period at 17:10 as he made the long
range shot from the perimeter.
Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency:
Beo Basket) scored five in a row for 22:12 and his another three-pointer
gave Serbia 25:14. Nenad Krstic and Rasic delivered for 29:16 and
Dirk
Nowitzki cut it to 33:24. He also sent the squads to the lockers at 38:28 as
Serbia won both periods in the first half. Steffen Hamann and
Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) exchanged the early threes in the start of the
third quarter, while
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) scored for 40:33.
Milos Teodosic and Markovic brought the five straight points for Serbia that
enjoyed 45:33 lead.
Dusko Savanovic and Nenad Krstic ensured the 15-point advantage with 4
minutes to play in the third.
Dirk
Nowitzki reduced to 51:38, while Milenko Tepic made two free throws for
56:41. Perovic meanwhile closed the third period also from the free throw line.
Benzing gave Germany a chance to survive in the last period, but Rasic
immediately responded for 60:44.
Chris Kaman and
Dirk
Nowitzki cut it 62:49 with 6 minutes to go. Again
Dirk
Nowitzki brought Germany to 62:54 as he scored his 23 point.
Milos Teodosic broke the intrigue at 73:61 and
Heiko Schaffartzik made the final result in the game.
Dusko Savanovic top-scored for Serbia with 18 points and Nenad Krstic nailed
15.
Milos Teodosic posted 12 and Milenko Tepic added 8.
Dirk
Nowitzki replied with 25 points in defeat, while
Heiko Schaffartzik scored 11 and
Chris Kaman as well as Steffen Hamann posted 10 apiece.
Italy - France
84-91
France stayed perfect at 2011 EuroBasket. They prevailed against Italy in a
dramatic clash tonight to improve at 4-0 record in Group B.
Boris Diaw (203-F/C-82) stepped up with 21 points to pace the winners. Italy
fell at 1-3 record after the loss. The teams stayed close throughout the opening
quarter.
Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-85) nailed 13 points in the opening frame to give
the Azzurri a 23:20 lead ten minutes into the game. The lead changed hands for a
couple of times throughout the second term before
Marco Belinelli (196-G-86) drained three triples and ensured a 48:41
halftime lead for Italy. The Azzurri kept their opponents at bay throughout the
third period. They established a 67:60 lead with ten minutes remaining.
Tchicamboud and Gelabale opened the final period with back-to-back
three-pointers to narrow the deficit.
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) drew things level at 74 midway through the fourth
quarter. Les Bleus surged back in front but
Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari made it 80:79 for Italy with just over
two minutes to go.
Nicolas Batum and
Boris Diaw pulled Les Bleus in front 85:82 with just 36 seconds left.
Nicolas Batum followed with two free throws to enlarge the lead. Les Bleus
then went deadly from the stripe and sealed the winning outcome at the end.
Nicolas Batum finished with 20 points, while
Ali
Traore (207-C-85, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
S.Idaho JC)
added 11 points in the win.
Andrea Bargnani answered with 22 points for Italy.
Marco Belinelli chipped in 19 points in defeat.
Israel - Latvia
91-88
Israel grabbed 91:88 over Latvia for the initial victory in Group B between two
winless teams before the clash with each other. Israel started strong and opened
the game with 7 consecutive points. The Baltic state however did not panic and
bounced back with an 8-0 run.
Janis Blums (190-G-82) later tied it all at 9:9 and he nailed three for
13:13. Israel produced a 6-0 run as
Lior
Eliyahu (206-F/C-85, agency:
Z.A.G. - Law Offices) made it 19:13 and Bertans closed the period at 23:22,
Israel. Naimy brought 27:27 and
Lior
Eliyahu scored for 34:30. David Blu gave Israel 40:37, but
Janis Blums netted three for 43:42. Green however remained Israel in front
at the first half for 47:45. After being tied at 51:51, Ohayon and David Blu
created a 6-0 run for 57:51. David Blums scored six in a row for 57:57, but
Lior
Eliyahu and Naimy gave Israel 65:62.
Janis Blums erupted with another five in a row for 67:65, while
Guy
Pnini (200-F/G-83) closed the period for plus 1, Latvia. Freimanis made a
dunk for 71:68 early in the last frame, but Mekel and David Blu closed a 7-0 run
for 75:71.
Lior
Eliyahu and Rihards Kuksiks exchanged the baskets for 77:75 and Bertans
scored for 81:79. Strelnieks tied the game at 83:83 and Israel led 2 points with
30 seconds remaining.
Guy
Pnini scored for 89:84 and Rihards Kuksiks immediately nailed three for
89:87. Mekel scored two from the free throw line to make it 91:88, while
Strelnieks missed the final shot.
Lior
Eliyahu erupted with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while
Guy
Pnini netted 12.
Janis Blums had high 27 points, while
Andrejs Selakovs (210-C-88, agency:
Players Group) notched 14 and Rihards Kuksiks posted 12.
Group C
Bosnia - Croatia
92-80
Bosnia and Herzegovina posted the second win at the European Championship.
Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency:
Beo Basket) exploded with 26 points and 9 rebounds to lead them past
Croatia. The victory helped Bosnia and Herzegovina to catch up with Croatia in
Group C ladder. Both teams are now tied at 2-2 record. The teams got to a flying
start. They teamed up for 56 points in the opening frame and entered the second
period tied at 28. The teams stayed neck and neck before Bosnia and Herzegovina
ignited a 9:0 run to post a 43:36 halftime advantage. Croatia answered with a
7:0 run at the start of the third term to level things up. But
Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college:
E.Illinois)
helped Bosnia and Herzegovina clear off to a 64:59 lead at the final
intermission. Bosnia and Herzegovina opened the fourth frame on a 12:2 rally to
take a 76:61 lead. They never looked back afterwards cruising to the victory at
the end.
Henry Domercant posted 23 points, while Kenan Bajramovic added 12 points in
the win.
Ante
Tomic (217-C-87) responded with 23 points for Croatia.
Bojan Bogdanovic (202-G/F-89) provided 16 points in defeat.
FYR Macedonia - Finland
72-70
FYR Macedonia earned the third win at the 2011 EuroBasket. They held off pesky
Finland to improve at 3-1 record in Group C.
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
topscored with 18 points, 5 boards and 4 assists. Finland fell at 1-3 record
after the loss. The lead changed hands numerous times throughout close first
quarter. Finland eventually earned a 21:20 lead after ten minutes. FYR Macedonia
used an 11:0 run early in the second term to jump into a 37:27 lead. However
Finland capped the half with eight points in a row to take a 40:38 lead. The
teams went neck and neck throughout the third term. After several lead changes
Muurinen gave Finland a 58:54 advantage with ten minutes to go. It all came down
to the final seconds in this one.
Bo
McCalebb made it 70:66 for FYR Macedonia with under two minutes to go. Salin
answered with a triple to narrow the gap but
Bo
McCalebb went deadly from the stripe secure a 72:69 lead for FYR Macedonia
with five seconds to go.
Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) narrowed the gap but it was not enough for
Finland as they lost the game. Vojdan Stojanovski posted 16 points, while
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) added 14 points, 19 rebounds and 3 assists in the
victory. Mikko Koivisto and
Petteri Koponen answered with 11 points each for Finland. Gerald Lee netted
10 points in defeat.
Montenegro - Greece
55-71
Greece posted the third win at the 2011 EuroBasket. They held off Montenegro to
bounce back from an upsetting loss to FYR Macedonia in the previous round.
Kostas Koufos (213-C/F-89, college:
Ohio St.)
stepped up with 19 points to lead the charge. Montenegro fell at 1-3 record
after the loss. The teams looked evenly matched in the first frame. Greece
eventually grabbed a 21:18 lead after ten minutes of action. The Hellenes
maintained the lead throughout the second frame. They ensured a 32:31 halftime
advantage. Greece went on a deadly 19:0 run midway through the third term to
gain a 51:33 lead. They arrived at the final break up by as many as 17 points
58:41. Montenegro had little chance of saving this one and had to surrender at
the end.
Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) provided 14 points, while Nick Calathes added 12
points, 6 assists and 3 boards in the win.
Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency:
Beo Basket) answered with 15 points and 7 rebounds for Montenegro. Milko
Bjelica finished with 8 points in the loss.
Group D
Bulgaria - Russia
77-89
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) and Mozgov combined 40 points to rout Bulgaria
for a perfect 4-0 record in Group D. Russia overcame the opponents 89:77 as the
latter fell at 1-3 record. After an important loss from Ukraine, Bulgaria looked
very well in the start of the game against Russia.
Earl
Rowland (188-G-83, college:
St.Mary's,
CA) scored three for 7:4 and his another shot gave Bulgaria plus 5. Russia
however responded with an 8-0 run as
Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85, agency:
Alti Sport) closed it at 13:9. Ivanov and Shved exchanged the late baskets
in the quarter for 23:18, Russia.
Vitaly Fridzon made another three-pointer for 29:22 and his third one from
the long range saw 32:24 on the board.
Andrei Kirilenko scored for 40:29 and
Earl
Rowland reduced to 42:38 at the halftime. Russia looked better in the third
quarter and after 25-21 took 67:59. Antonov opened the last frame with a jump
shot and he made a dunk for 74:64. Videnov reduced to 76:68 after four straight
points and his three-pointer brought 80:71 later in the quarter. Again Videnov
reduced to 80:75, but Russia did not allowed the opponents to come closer.
Andrei Kirilenko scored for 87:76 and Khryapa brought the last points for
the winners.
Georgia - Ukraine
69-53
Georgia won over Ukraine in one of the most important games of the group for the
third place. Georgia needed 69:53 to take 2-2 record and steps closer to advance
to the Second Round. It was a tough start for both teams and they managed to
score only 4 points in the first 5 minutes. Lishchuk made it 6:4 and
Steve Bertt (185-G-84, college:
Iona)
nailed a three for 9:4 lead. Shermadini and Haynes reduced to just 1 point, but
Pecherov nailed two long range shots for 15:10 advantage. Moreover Fesenko
closed the first period at 17:10. Again Pecherov fired from the arc for 20:13
and Kolchenko brought 24:17 after an amazing assist from Zabirchenko. The latter
nailed three right after for 27:19 and Fesenko gave Ukraine double figures lead.
Georgia however dominated the rest of the quarter and
Georgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) sent the teams to the lockers at 33:30. Georgia
started the second half better and grabbed the lead early in the third. Pachulia,
Georgi Tsintsadze and
Manuchar Markoishvili (195-G-86) gave Georgia 38:35 and
Georgi Tsintsadze increased to 5. Haynes and
Tornike Shengelia (207-F-91) gave Georgia 46:39, while another five points
in a row were too much for Ukraine.
Steve Bertt broke the silence for 51:41 and Pachulia scored for 53:44.
Sanikidze increased the lead to 11 and he also made it 57:44. Lukashov nailed
three in response for 57:47 and Sanikidze made an alley-oop, while
Tornike Shengelia made the things clear at 15 points with 5 minutes to go.
Manuchar Markoishvili scored for 65:50 and
Manuchar Markoishvili brought plus 17. Sanikidze made the final result in
the game at 69:53.
Georgi Tsintsadze and
Manuchar Markoishvili poured in 14 points each, while
Tornike Shengelia notched 12. Pecherov and
Steve Bertt delivered 11 points each in the losing effort.
Belgium - Slovenia
61-70
Slovenia posted the fourth straight win at EuroBasket. They overcame pesky
Belgium to stay undefeated in Group D.
Goran Dragic (194-PG-86) scored 18 points to lead the effort. Belgium on the
other hand suffered the fourth loss in a row. Belgium got to a 10:2 start to the
game. They maintained the lead to secure a 15:14 advantage after ten minutes.
The teams traded baskets throughout intense second period and Belgium managed to
record a 30:29 lead at the interval. Slovenia went on a 7:2 run at the start of
the second half to surge ahead. They stayed in charge posting a 50:47 advantage
at the final intermission.
Marcus Faison (196-G-78, agency:
Lanshire Group, college:
Siena)
knotted things up at 58 with under four minutes to go in the game. However
Erazem Lorbek and
Goran Dragic returned the lead for Slovenia and they never surrendered it in
the final seconds.
Mirza Begic (216-C-85) posted 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Erazem Lorbek
and
Uros Slokar (210-F/C-83) added 7 points each in the win.
Thomas Van Den Spiegel (214-C-78) answered with 16 points for Belgium.
Marcus Faison delivered 13 points in the loss.
Results and Stats from Day 3 and 4 in Lithuania
- Sep 3, 2011
Group A
Turkey - Lithuania
68-75
Lithuania grabbed 3-0 record in Group A of the home tournament. The Baltic State
overcame Turkey 75:68 in one of the top games in Day 3 at Eurobasket 2011. This
game as well as Germany-France was expected more than any other in Day 3.
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) was too good for France at that game as the end did not
bring too much intrigue, however Turkey and Lithuania struggled until the last
seconds. Jankunas scored for 8:4 and
Ersan Ilyasova (207-F-87) tied the game at 11:11.
Omer
Asik (213-C-86) gave Turkey 16:15, while Kanter later tied it all at 17:17.
Lithuania took 19:17 after the first period, while Savas again made it equal in
the court. Turkoglu brought 29:23 and
Ersan Ilyasova increased to 8 points. Only
Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82)'s three sent the teams to the lockers at 35:32.
Turkey.
Omer
Asik and
Ersan Ilyasova scored for 45:39, while again
Simas Jasaitis reduced to 47:47. Later Jasikevicius scored from the
perimeter for 659:58 as Lithuania took the lead. Preldzic brought 63:63 with 3
minutes in the game and
Darius Songaila (205-C/F-78, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Wake Forest)
made the same at 65:65. The last points the host scored from the free throw line
and it was enough to seal the victory. Preldzic, Preldzic, Jasikevicius and
Simas Jasaitis ensured the third straight win for Lithuania.
Darius Songaila paced all the winners with 12 points, while
Simas Jasaitis and
Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college:
Seton Hall)
notched 11 each.
Ersan Ilyasova answered with 20 points in the losing effort and
Omer
Asik chipped in 11.
Spain - United Kingdom
86-69
Spain won the third straight game at Eurobasket 2011. The defending champions
overcame Great Britain 86:69.
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) opened the game with four straight points and Fernandez
scored for 9:2. Great Britain reduced the gap immediately in the end of the
frame as
Luol
Deng (201-F-85, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Duke)
made it 19:16 after 10 minutes.
Luol
Deng brought 21:19 for Great Britain in the start of the second frame but
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) scored for 28:23. Rubio and
Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) brought 32:25, while the latter made it plus 9.
Spain produced the same result in the second period adding another 19-16 for
38:32 at the halftime.
Marc
Gasol and his brother made it 46:36 and Reinking cut it to 52:38 later in
the third. Reinking and Johnson exchanged the late baskets for 60:45 after
thirty minutes.
Pau
Gasol brought 67:48 and Ibaka delivered for 71:50. Adegboye and
Luol
Deng made three free throws for 71:53, but
Felipe Reyes increased to 20. Claver closed a 7-0 run for Spain, while
Adegboye scored 4 in a row for 78:57 with 3 minutes to go. Johnson and Adegboye
reduced to 80:62, while again Johnson and Freeland cut it to 13.
Felipe Reyes and
Marc
Gasol ensured the last points for Spain that celebrated 86:69 victory.
Pau
Gasol top-scored for Spain with 21 points, while
Marc
Gasol collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. Fernandez notched 11 and
Felipe Reyes posted 10.
Luol
Deng finished the game with 17 points and
Daniel Clark (210-C-88, agency:
Interperformances) added 14.
Portugal - Poland
73-81
Poland celebrated the initial victory at the Eurobasket 2011. The team improved
to 1-2 record after 81:73 over Portugal due to the second half.
Lukasz Koszarek (187-G-84) scored from the arc in the opening tip, but
Portugal replied with 7-0 run.
Antonio Tavares (183-G-75) scored the last 4 points in the first period for
13:10 at the end of the first period.
Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) meanwhile tied the game at 17:17, while Portugal
again went on a bigger lead. Santos nailed three for 33:24 and
Filipe Da Silva (192-G-79) closed the half at 36:29. Poland erupted with
13-0 run when the teams came back to the court after the break. Berisha nailed
three for 42:36 and
Szymon Szewczyk scored for 45:38. Miguel Miranda's layup however halted the
long drought for Portugal and they outscored their opponents 13-7 to go into the
final frame with the game knotted at 49:49. The last quarter became the most
offensive and Poland managed to score 32 points.
Szymon Szewczyk brought 54:51, while Hrycaniuk added for 64:61.
Lukasz Koszarek increased to 71:65, while he scored from the perimeter at
the very end for the final result in the game.
Lukasz Koszarek ended up with 18 points for the winners and Berisha nailed
16.
Szymon Szewczyk delivered 13, while
Pawel Leonczyk (202-F-86, agency:
Promotex) scored 11.
Antonio Tavares and Costa answered with 13 points in the losing case, whilst
Santos and
Filipe Da Silva notched 12 apiece.
Group B
Serbia - Israel
89-80
Serbia stay perfect at Eurobasket 2011 after a tough game over Israel. The
latter stayed in front for the majority of the game but failed at the end and
lost the game. Serbia needed 89:80 to improve to 3-0 record in Group B.
Yotam Halperin (196-G-84) and Eliyahu made it 5:0 for Israel and Eliyahu
later brought 11:6. Kadir and Bjelica exchanged the late baskets at the end of
the game for 25:22, Israel.
Milan Macvan (206-C-89, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) tied the game at 27:27, but Serbia failed 4-11 run
and Nissim scored for 41:31.
Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency:
Beo Basket) however reduced to 41:35 at the halftime, but Israel did not
slow down in the second half. Nissim gave his side 53:41 that was the biggest
lead in the game. Serbia got a three-point play by Kosta Perovic and a shot from
the arc on the left wing by Stefan Markovic to pull level at 64:64. Serbia then
took the control and
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) scored for 79:76.
Dusko Savanovic erupted from the arc for 84:76 and Teodosic scored the last
two points from the free throw line.
Dusko Savanovic poured in 24 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while
Nenad Krstic added 18 points and 7 boards.
Marko Keselj (205-F-88, agency:
Beo Basket) ended up with 15 points and also 7 rebounds, whilst
Milan Macvan notched 7.
Yotam Halperin produced 18 points in the losing case and Blu as well as
Nissim had 16 apiece.
Latvia - Italy
62-71
Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-85) brings Azzurri the victory over the Baltic
State on Friday afternoon at Eurobasket 2011. The Italian player erupted with 36
points for 71:62 win as Italy grabbed 2-1 record in Group B. Italy could not
score for the first three minutes and only
Andrea Bargnani made the first points. He scored the first seven points and
gave Italy 7:5. Latvia however played better in the opening quarter and
Andrejs Selakovs (210-C-88, agency:
Players Group) closed it at 21:18. Strelnieks brought 25:20 and Meiers made
two free throws for 28:22.
Andrea Bargnani and Bertans exchanged the baskets at the end of the half for
33:31, Latvia.
Andrea Bargnani tied the game at 33:33 and Mancinelli brought 48:46 lead.
Two free-throws by
Marco Belinelli (196-G-86) gave the Italians a 55:53 lead at the end of the
third quarter and then at the beginning of the fourth, captain Mordente and
Andrea Bargnani struck two major blows.
Andrea Bargnani was the hero of the last quarter and ensured the victory for
Italy.
Marco Belinelli made the last free throw in the game for the final result.
Marco Belinelli posted 11 points for the second victory at the tournament.
Rihards Kuksiks (198-G/F-88) finished the game with 19 points and
Andrejs Selakovs notched 10 in defeat.
Dairis Bertans (192-G/F-89) posted 8 points as Latvia dropped at 0-3 record.
France - Germany
76-65 Tony
Parker did whatever he wanted to propel France over Germany in Day 3. France
needed 76:65 to stay perfect, while Germany suffered their first loss. Kaman and
Nowitski opened the game for 5:0 and Kaman later made 11:2. Germany however they
did not expect France to recover immediately.
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) reduced to 14:12, while Hamann closed the period
mat 16:12. Although Benzing made it 24:17, France had
Tony
Parker to respond. He nailed three and then made two free throws for 29:26
lead.
Tony
Parker scored another 5 in a row for 39:33, while Noah followed him for
8-point deficit. Schaffartzik reduced to 46:39, but
Tony
Parker closed another 10-0 run for 56:39. Traore closed the third period at
58:40. Schwethelm and
Tony
Parker exchanged the early baskets in the last period and Ohlbrecht cut it
to 60:43.
Nicolas Batum and Traore brought 64:45, while
Tony
Parker made it 66:45 with 7 minutes to go. Germany however cut it to 11 as
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) made two free throws for 68:57. Noah increased to 13 and
Staiger made it 72:62.
Nicolas Batum made an amazing dunk for 74:62, while
Nicolas Batum hit from the half court for the final result.
Tony
Parker erupted with 32 points staying on the bench for the majority of the
last quarter.
Nicolas Batum notched 14 and Gelabale nailed 10.
Dirk
Nowitzki delivered 20 points in defeat and Schaffartzik scored 12.
Group C
Greece - FYR Macedonia
58-72
FFYR Macedonia recorded the second win at the 2011 EuroBasket. They stunned
Greece tonight to improve at 2-1 record in Group C.
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
stepped up with 27 points to pace the charge. Greece and FYR Macedonia are now
tied on top of the ladder in the group. FYR Macedonia jumped to an early 6:2
lead. But Greece quickly denied the deficit. They put their noses in front and
ensured an 18:16 lead at the first break. The Hellenes stretched the margin to 5
points early in the second quarter 21:16. But FYR Macedonia used an 8:0 run late
in the half to surge ahead 30:26.
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency:
FCM) and Kaimakoglou cut the distance to a single point 29:30 at halftime.
Bo
McCalebb stepped up for FYR Macedonia in the third term. He fired 13 points
and made sure his team took a 50:47 lead into the fourth frame. FYR Macedonia
went on an 11:1 run early in the fourth quarter to boost their lead. Vasileiadis
stopped the rot for Greece but FYR Macedonia answered with a killer 9:0 surge to
clear off for good in this one.
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) posted 12 points and 8 rebounds, while
Todor Gechevski (209-C-77, agency:
Interperformances) and Chekovski added 11 points each in the victory.
Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) responded with 16 points for Greece.
Ioannis Bourousis had 10 points, 10 boards and 4 assists in the loss.
Croatia - Montenegro 87-81
Croatia posted the second victory in the European Championship in
Poland. They held off Montenegro to improve at 2-1 record in Group C. Montenegro
on the other hand slipped at 1-2 record after the defeat.
Ante
Tomic (217-C-87) orchestrated the victory with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4
assists for Croatia.
The Croatian team got to the better start. They registered a 24:16 lead after
ten minutes of action. Croatia kept Montenegro at bay throughout the second
frame. Cook and Bjelica finally managed to drag Montenegro within four points at
the interval 42:46. But Croatia opened the third term on a 7:0 run to boost the
gap. They arrived at the final break leading by 7 points 67:60.
Marko
Popovic (185-G-82, agency:
Alti Sport, college:
S.Idaho JC)
made it a 10-point game 80:70 midway through the fourth frame. But Montenegro
answered with 7:0 run to narrow the distance. Tomic, Zoric and
Marko
Popovic went deadly from the stripe in the dying seconds sealing the victory
for Croatia.
Marko
Popovic posted 23 points for the winners.
Dontaye Draper (180-G-84, college:
Charleston)
had 9 points and 12 assists for Croatia.
Goran Jeretin (192-G-79, agency:
Beo Basket) answered with 18 points for Montenegro.
Vladimir Dragicevic (206-C/F-86) had 17 points in the loss.
Finland - Bosnia
92-64
Finland celebrated the first win at the European Championship. They shot down
Bosnia and Herzegovina for 1-2 record in Group C. The Finnish team thus caught
up their todays opponents in the ladder.
Mikko Koivisto (194-G-87, college:
NC-Greensboro) posted 17 points to pace the winners. The teams stayed close
throughout the opening frame. The lead changed hands for several times before
Mikko Koivisto made it 24:20 for Finland. Bosnia and Herzegovina denied the
deficit midway through the second term. Ikonic put them in charge with a
three-pointer 32:31. But Finland regained control and ensured a 42:38 lead at
the interval. The Finnish team used a 9:2 run midway through the third quarter
to boost the margin to 11 points 51:40. Salin and Rannikko made it 70:53 late in
the period. Salin capped the third term with a three-pointer as Finland earned a
76:56 advantage. Finland stayed comfortable in charge throughout the fourth
frame.
Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) contributed 14 points, while
Gerald Lee (208-F-87, college:
ODU)
provided 12 points in the victory.
Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college:
E.Illinois)
answered with 25 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81) had 11 points in the losing case.
Group D
Ukraine - Bulgaria
67-56
Mike Fratello's Ukraine tastes the first victory at Eurobasket 2011. The team
won the very important game over Bulgaria 67:56 as both teams are with 1-2
records in the group. Varbanov and
Dmytro Zabirchenko (192-G-84) exchanged the early baskets in the start of
the game, while
Viacheslav Kravtsov (212-C-87, agency:
Beo Basket) closed a 7-0 run for Ukraine for 10:3. Avramov nailed three to
cut it to 14:10, while Chavdar Kostov tied it all at 16:16 early in the second.
Steve Bertt (185-G-84, college:
Iona)
and
Alexander Kolchenko (198-F/G-88, agency:
Beo Basket) made it 21:17, while
Alexander Kolchenko and
Dmytro Zabirchenko scored for 30:20. Rowland and
Dmytro Zabirchenko sent the teams to the lockers for 34:25 at the halftime.
Chavdar Kostov and Lishchuk scored from the arc in the start of the third period
and
Alexander Kolchenko made two free throws for 41:28. Lishchuk brought 45:21
and
Alexander Kolchenko gave the biggest lead for Ukraine at plus 18. Ivanov was
the last to score the third quarter with the successful shot for 58:43. Bulgaria
did not give up and
Filip Videnov (196-F/G-80, agency:
Interperformances, college:
W.Kentucky)
as well as Ivanov reduced to 60:52. Dejan Ivanov made it 65:56, while
Viacheslav Kravtsov increased to 67:56. For another almost two minutes the
teams remained scoreless and it allowed Ukraine to celebrate the first victory
at Eurobasket 2011.
Alexander Kolchenko stepped up with 18 points for the winners and
Steve Bertt added 17.
Dmytro Zabirchenko posted 12, while
Viacheslav Kravtsov netted 7. Chavdar Kostov and
Filip Videnov ended up with 10 points each in the losing effort.
Russia - Belgium
79-58
Russia grabbed the third victory in Group D of Eurobasket 2011. Blatt's squad
reached 79:58 over Belgium to keep them winless. The favorites scored the first
six points in the game, but
Marcus Faison (196-G-78, agency:
Lanshire Group, college:
Siena)
tied it all at 7:7.
Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85, agency:
Alti Sport) and again
Marcus Faison scored threes for 10:10, while Khryapa brought 18:12 for
Russia. Tabu reduced the gap at the end of the frame closing it at 21:16. Beghin
and Mbenga cut it to 24:20 but Shved and
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) scored for 30:21. Russia led 11 points with few
minutes left in the half, however allowed the opponents to cut it to 5 points at
the halftime. Mozgov brought 42:34 and
Andrey Vorontsevich (204-C-87) increased to 10 points.
Andrei Kirilenko made two free throws for 51:41 and
Andrey Vorontsevich nailed three for 13-point advantage. Lauwers and Muya
closed the third quarter at 57:48. Antonov and Bykov made it 61:48 early in the
last stanza and Antonov nailed three for 16-point lead.
Vitaly Fridzon nailed three for 67:50 and he netted another one for 72:52 on
the board. Ponkrashov and Antonov scored the last baskets for the winners to
celebrate the third straight victory.
Vitaly Fridzon top-scored for the winners with 22 points and
Andrey Vorontsevich added 17.
Andrei Kirilenko was satisfied with just 9 points.
Marcus Faison notched 14 points in defeat, whilst
Maxime De Zeeuw (205-F-87, agency:
LBM Management) and Beghin brought 8 apiece.
Slovenia - Georgia
87-75
Slovenia is the first to improve to 3-0 record in Group D at Eurobasket 2011.
The team edged tough Georgia 87:75 and advanced to the next stage of the
competition with two more games remaining. Georgia started better and
Zaza
Pachulia (212-C-84) brought the first three points. Sanikidze scored for 7:5
and Tsintsadze delivered two for 22:14. Moreover Haynes nailed three for 25:15
after the first ten minutes of the game. Shengelia brought the biggest lead in
the game at 28:15 early in the third, while Slovenia reduced to 4 points after a
9-0 run. Dragic and Jagodnik cut it to 37:35 and
Saso
Ozbolt (188-G-81, agency:
World Sport Agency) brought 40:40 on the board. It was the last successful
shot in the half as the teams disappeared in the lockers. Slovenia took control
in the third period and Lorbek scored for 51:45.
Jaka
Lakovic (186-G-78) and Dragic delivered for 55:47 , but Georgia pushed the
tempo at the end of the third quarter. Gamqrelidze reduced to 55:51 and Boisa
scored for 57:53. Gamqrelidze nailed three for 59:58 that was the end of the
third quarter.
Saso
Ozbolt and Dragic fired threes for 65:60 and
Jaka
Lakovic nailed another one for 73:65. The latter made two free throws for
77:68 with a minute to go.
Saso
Ozbolt made another two for 11-point lead, while Haynes scored three for
79:71.
Saso
Ozbolt made four free throws in a row for 85:73, while
Jaka
Lakovic made the final result on the board.
Jaka
Lakovic paced all the winners with 22 points and
Saso
Ozbolt added 21.
Zoran Dragic (196-F/G-89) produced 15, while Lorbek delivered 12.
Zaza
Pachulia replied with 22 points and
Manuchar Markoishvili (195-G-86) scored 16.
Results and Stats from Day 2 in Lithuania
- Sep 1, 2011
Group A
United Kingdom - Turkey
61-90
Turkey improved to 2-0 record in Group A after the victory over Great Britain on
Thursday afternoon. Turkey led from the start until the end to seal 90:61
victory. Deng gave his side the first lead in the game at 1:0 as it became clear
after it was the last one. Turkey responded with seven consecutive points and
Omer
Onan (194-G-78) later scored for 13:3. Ilyasova and
Omer
Asik (213-C-86) brought 17:3, while Reinking closed the period at 22:10. In
the second frame Turkey also scored 22 points but allowed Great Britain to
finish with 16. Deng closed the half at 44:26 and
Omer
Asik opened the scoring account in the third period for his side. Sullivan
and v reduced to 49:33, while Turkoglu nailed three for 54:33. Ilyasova and
Freeland exchanged for 59:37 and the latter also posted the last three points in
the third quarter for 64:43. Turkey did not allow the opponents to come closer
and did not even think of slowing down. Tunceri and
Omer
Onan made it 69:44, while
Omer
Asik scored for 74:49. Johnson and
Izzet Turkyilmaz (210-F-90) left 25-points difference on the board and Akyol
scored 6 in a row for 82:51. Boateng later gave Great Britain four consecutive
points, while Johnson made the final result in the game.
Emir
Preldzic (206-F-87, agency:
Beo Basket) poured in 15 points for the winners and
Omer
Onan notched 14. Savas chipped in 12, while Kanter added 11. Deng finished
the game with 22 points and Kyle Johnson delivered 10.
Poland - Lithuania
77-97
Lithuania registered the second straight win at the home EuroBasket. They fired
past Poland for 2-0 record in Group A.
Mantas Kalnietis (196-G-86, agency:
Interperformances) stepped up with 19 points, 6 boards and 6 assists to pace
the charge. Lithuania surged ahead late in the opening quarter. They recorded a
25:20 lead after ten minutes.
Darius Songaila (205-C/F-78, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Wake Forest)
scored 8 points in a row early in the second frame to give the hosts a 33:22
lead. Lithuania stretched the margin to 15 points at halftime. The margin just
kept on growing in the third term. The home team entered the fourth frame up by
24 points 76:52. Poland fired 25 points in the final term but it could not
rescue them eventually.
Darius Songaila provided 14 points, while Rimantas Kaukenas added 11 points
in the victory. Thomas Kelati answered with 16 points for Poland.
Dardan Berisha (192-G-88, agency:
Global Sports Plaza) and
Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) had 10 points each in the loss.
Portugal - Spain
73-87
Spain turn on high-octane stuff against Portugal and easily won the second game
at EuroBasket 2011. After the tough victory over Poland in Day 1, the defending
champions rout Portugal 87:73. Spain did not waste time and went on a lead in
the first period.
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) made it 22:11, while Fernandez closed the frame at 26:16.
The latter also brought 33:19 early in the second and
Pau
Gasol added two more for 16-point deficit. Portugal however created a 6-0
run as Tavarez reduced to 35:25. Calderon and Reyes were the last to score at
the half for 53:36 advantage.
Pau
Gasol and his brother ensured 57:38 early in the third, while
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) scored for 59:41. He made two three-points in a
row later for 65:44 midway through the third quarter. Reyes scored four
consecutive points at the end of the quarter for 77:52. In the last stanza
Portugal started to play better and reduced to score a bit in the game. At first
Fonseca and Miranda reduced to 79:52, while Andrade cut it to 80:60. Rubio
increased the lead to 23 points, but
Antonio Tavares (183-G-75) reduced to 18. Evora and Reyes exchanged the
shots for 85:66, while Rubio made 87:66. Goncalves scored four in a row for
87:70 and Santos nailed three for the final result.
Pau
Gasol again top-scored for the winners, this time with 20 points.
Juan
Carlos Navarro netted 17, while
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) and Reyes notched 10 apiece.
Antonio Tavares replied with 17 points in the losing effort and Miranda
scored 13.
Group B
Italy - Germany
62-76
Germany needed a strong finish to win over Italy in the top game of Day 2 in
Eurobasket.
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) and
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) were too much for the Italian side in a 76:62 victory. The
teams were tied four times in the opening period, while Mordente tied it at
16:16 in the latest. He also gave Italians 2-point lead after the first 10
minutes, while Herber opened the third quarter from the perimeter and Ohlbrecht
scored for 22:20.
Robin Benzing (208-F-89) and
Dirk
Nowitzki scored for 36:30 that became the score at the halftime. Trailing
32:38 in the start of the third quarter, Italy erupted with an 8-0 run as
Marco Belinelli (196-G-86) brought 40:38. Only
Dirk
Nowitzki needed the last shot in the third period for 46:45 after thirty
minutes. The last quarter however completely belonged to Germany. They exploded
with 30-17 in it and reached the second straight victory. Schwethelm made the
last three-pointer in the game for the final result.
Dirk
Nowitzki top-scored for the German side with 21 points and 12 rebounds,
while
Chris Kaman collected 17 points and 17 caroms.
Robin Benzing posted 14, while Schaffartzik added 11.
Danilo Gallinari (205-G/F-88, agency:
Players Group) replied with 17 points and
Marco Belinelli scored 15 in defeat.
Latvia - Serbia
77-92
Serbia celebrated the second straight win at the Eurobasket 2011. The Serbian
squad edged Latvia 92:77 after 19-2 from the start. It was an easy start for
Serbia that overcame Italy in Day 1 of the competition. Serbia scored the first
11 points in the game and later had 19:2. Perovic made a dunk to close the first
period at 23:7. The Baltic side was too far to give up and erupted with a
massive lead in the second quarter.
Rolands Freimanis (207-C/F-88, agency:
Players Group) tied the game at 29:29, while Serbia responded with a 7-0
run. Savanovic later scored for 37:31 and Krstic scored two frees for 42:36.
Kuksiks nailed three and Strelnieks brought 46:41 in the end of middle of the
third quarter. For Serbia it was an offensive period and after 32 points in it
they enjoyed 70:58 going into the last quarter.
Rolands Freimanis and
Janis Blums (190-G-82) reduced to 6 points, but Macvan and
Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency:
Beo Basket) scored for 76:65. Strelnieks made two free throws for 76:70,
while Strelnieks and Paunic exchanged the shots for 82:72. Serbia won the end of
the game 10-5 and took the second straight win in Lithuania. Nenad Krstic paced
all the winners with 23 points, while Savanovic netted 19. Paunic followed them
with 10 and
Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) as well as Perovic scored 9 apiece.
Rolands Freimanis delivered 19 points in defeat, whilst Kuksiks posted 16.
Janis Blums notched 15 and Strelnieks added 12.
Israel - France
68-85
France rolled to the second win at the start of EuroBasket. They stormed past
Israel to stay undefeated in Group B.
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) scored 21 points and issued 8 assists to pace the
winners. France fired 24 points in the opening quarter to build a 10-point lead.
Israel stopped the rot in the second term. They got within 7 points at the
interval 35:42. But the third term turned things French way. Les Bleus stepped
on the gas and rallied to a 64:48 advantage heading into the fourth frame.
Israel got within 15 points but never threatened the margin as France cruised to
the victory at the end.
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) posted 15 points, while
Mickael Gelabale (201-F-83) added 13 points in the winning case.
Lior
Eliyahu (206-F/C-85, agency:
Z.A.G. - Law Offices) and
Yotam Halperin (196-G-84) answered with 15 points each in the loss.
Group C
Bosnia - Montenegro
94-86
Bosnia and Herzegovina overcame Montenegro in Group C that comprises four teams
from former Yugoslavia. The later push allowed them to celebrate 94:86 win for
1-1 record. Montenegro meanwhile suffered their first loss and also has 1-1
record. Dragicevic and Domercant brought the first points for the winners and
Domercant nailed another three for 10:6 lead. Teletovic and
Elmedin Kikanovic (210-C-88, agency:
Beo Basket) scored for 17:13, while Dedovic brought 22:15. The latter also
set up the final result at the end of the first period at 24:19.
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81) and Dedovic made it 32:19, while Ikonic scored three
for 40:29. Bosnia and Herzegovina also won the second period and led 48:41 at
the halftime. The third period however completely belonged to the Montenegrin
team that bounced back with 27-19.
Omar-Sharif Cook (186-PG-82, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
St.John's)
gave his side 68:67 and Dragicevic increased to 4 points. Teletovic's
far-shot-range however buried Montenegro. He scored 4 times from the perimeter
in the last period to bring the necessary result for his team. Vasiljevic scored
two free throws at the very end for the final score. Teletovic led the way with
23 points and Dedovic netted 19.
Nemanja Gordic (194-G-88) delivered 14 and three other teammates scored 9
each. Pekovic and
Omar-Sharif Cook ended up with 16 points each in the losing effort. Dasic
collected 14 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, while Dragicevic scored 13.
Finland - Greece
61-81
Greece celebrated the second straight victory at the Eurobasket 2011 in
Lithuania. The Greek side won all the quarters over Finland to end with 81:61
success. Greece took 6-0 from the start of the game and
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency:
FCM) and Fotsis scored for 10:6. Mavroeidis delivered two at the end of the
first period for 20:14 advantage. Finland started the second period more
confident and Lee reduced to 24:19. Moreover Huff scored another three for minus
2. No matter how hard the Scandinavian team tried to come closer, Greece did not
allow them to do that.
Ioannis Bourousis brought 37:29 and Koponen closed the half at 41:32. The
third quarter became the most defensive in the game as both sides shared 28
points. Greece added another 16-12 for 57:44 after thirty minutes.
Kostas Koufos (213-C/F-89, college:
Ohio St.)
and Vasileiadis brought 61:47 and Zisis made two free throws for 64:50.
Ioannis Bourousis immediately scored four from the line and
Michael Bramos (196-G/F-87, college:
Miami, OH)
nailed a three for 73:52. He was also the last player for the winners to score 4
consecutive points and celebrate 81:61 victory.
Ioannis Bourousis top-scored for the winners with 19 points and 10 rebounds,
while Zisis notched 14.
Michael Bramos and Fotsis followed them with 9 points each. Koponen
delivered 21 for the Scandinavian side and Lee added 13.
FYR Macedonia - Croatia
78-76
F.Y.R. of Macedonia brings the first loud upset defeating Croatia in Day 2 of
Eurobasket 2011. After an overtime loss from Montenegro the team won over
Croatia 78:76 as both teams are with 1-1 records in the middle of Group C.
Dontaye Draper (180-G-84, college:
Charleston)
and Gechevski started the game from the arc and
Bo
McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
later tied the game at 6:6. F.Y.R. of Macedonia showed their ambitions already
in the start of the game and won the opening period 21:18. Bogdanovic and Tomic
scored the first five points in the second quarter and
Dontaye Draper later gave Croatia 31:28. Simon scored for 37:32 and
Bo
McCalebb closed the first half as Croatia had 4-point deficit.
Damir Markota (210-C/F-85) and Barac increased to 49:37 but the game was not
over.
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) reduced to 56:51 and
Bo
McCalebb cut it to 58:56. Ilievski later tied the game at 60:60 with one
minute to play in the third. Tomas made the same at 65:65 and Zoric later at
72:72.
Dontaye Draper made two free throws for 76:76, but Ilievski brought the
victory for F.Y.R. of Macedonia.
Bo
McCalebb paced all the winners with 19 points and Ilievski nailed 18.
Pero
Antic scored 15, while Gechevski delivered 10.
Dontaye Draper ended up with 13 points in the losing effort and
Damir Markota scored 12. Bogdanovic delivered 11, whilst Simon and Tomic
posted 10 apiece.
Group D
Ukraine - Slovenia
64-68
Poor Slovenia managed to escape the win over Ukraine in the end of Day 3 of
Eurobasket 2011. After more than 20 points advantage in the start of the last
period, Slovenia failed with 1-17 and then could win only 68:64 after a
heart-breaker.
Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college:
Michigan St.)
and Begic opened the game for Slovenia, while Zabirchenko tied the game at 6:6.
Again Begic and
Erazem Lorbek scored for 13:8, but again Zabirchenko reduced to 13:11.
Slokar made two free throws at the end of the first period for 18:12, Slovenia.
The second quarter was a masterpiece for the Slovenian team that needed 23-8 for
41:20 at the halftime. In the third quarter the difference was almost all the
time by 20 points.
Erazem Lorbek scored for 46:25 and he later brought 49:27.
Serhiy Lishchuk (210-C/F-82, agency:
Beo Basket) and Dragic exchanged for 51:33, while
Serhiy Lishchuk and Udrih scored for 54:36. Burt made two free throws for
54:38 and Udrih closed the third period at 57:38. Fesenko opened the last period
for minus 17 and Kolchenko reduced to 57:42. Ukraine kept Slovenia scoreless for
more than two minutes as Slokar made one free throw for 58:42. Lukashov nailed
three for 58:45 and Slovenia needed a timeout at that time. Lithuania scored
only 1 single point in the first five minutes. Fesenko cut it to 58:48 and
Kolchenko made two free throws for 58:55. Begic broke the silence for his side
and increased to 5 points with 3 minutes to go. Lypovyy made it 60:57 and Begic
made two free throws for 62:57.
Erazem Lorbek and Dragic delivered for 65:58 and Burtt made two free throws
for minus 5. Lukashov stole the ball and drove a lay-up for 65:62, but Lakovic
increased the lead to four points.
Serhiy Lishchuk cut it to 2 points with 4 seconds to play, but
Saso
Ozbolt (188-G-81, agency:
World Sport Agency) made two free throws for the final result. Begic
top-scored for the winners with 14 points and
Erazem Lorbek notched 12. Smodis followed the with 9 points for 2-0 record.
Burtt scored 14 in defeat and Fesenko posted 11.
Georgia - Russia
58-65
Russia grabbed 2-0 record in Group D of the EuroBasket 2011. Although the fans
expected the more comfortable victory over Georgia, Russia enjoyed 65:58 win.
Kirilenko scored the first points for the winners, while Georgia replied with
6-0 run. Antonov and Fridzon nailed threes for 8:6, while Monya and Fridzon
closed the period from the perimeter for 20:16. Tskitishvili brought his side to
20:22, but Russia needed a small run to take the bigger lead. Monya and
Kirilenko scored for 33:24, while Shved brought 40:27.
Zaza
Pachulia (212-C-84) closed a 5-0 run for Georgia to delivered for 40:32, but
Russia responded with 6-0 run as Kirilenko made a dunk for 46:32. The third
quarter however belonged to Georgia and they made a huge comeback at the end of
the frame. Markoishvili nailed three to close the quarter at 52:45 and then
Shengelia scored for 52:50. Vorontsevich and Kirilenko increased the lead to 8
points but
Zaza
Pachulia and Haynes scored for 54:58.
Zaza
Pachulia later brought 56:61, but Vorontsevich,
Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) and Bykov delivered the last points for the
winners. Kirilenko poured in 20 points again in the second game to lead the
charge. Monya netted 12, while Fridzon chipped in 9. Markoishvili answered with
21 points for Georgia and
Zaza
Pachulia had only 11.
Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86) followed them with 10 points in the losing
effort.
Bulgaria - Belgium
68-65
Bulgaria won the real thriller over Belgium in the start of Day 2 at EuroBasket
2011. Twelve times the score was tied in the game, while Bulgaria managed to
grab 68:65 victory.
Sam
Van Rossom (188-G-86) tried to save the game but missed a three-pointer with
the buzzer. Bulgaria and Belgium entered the court winless as In Day 1 both of
them lost their openers. They exchanged the lead several times in the opening
period until Bulgaria grabbed 14:13 after the first 10 minutes. Tabu-Eboma and
Earl
Rowland (188-G-83, college:
St.Mary's,
CA) exchanged the baskets early in the second, while Tomas Van Den Spiegel
tied the game at 19:19. Belgium went on a lead and Beghin gave them 28:21, but
Earl
Rowland tied it all at 28:28. The latter also sent the teams to the lockers
at 33:32, Bulgaria. Kostov nailed three to tie again at 35:35 and Faison made
the same at 39:39. The teams were tied again several more times in the third
frame but
Earl
Rowland gave Bulgaria 56:52 at the end of it. Moors brought 56:56, while
Videnov scored for 63:59.
Sam
Van Rossom and Beghin tied it at 63:63, and the latter also gave Belgium
65:63 lead with less than 2 minutes. Videnov and Ivanov responded for 3-point
Bulgarian lead that became the final in the game.
Sam
Van Rossom tried to save the game but missed a three-pointer with the
buzzer.
Earl
Rowland stepped up with 22 points for the winners and Videnov notched 17.
Sam
Van Rossom ended up with 17 points in defeat and Beghin added 13.
Results and Stats from Day 1 in Lithuania
- Aug 31, 2011
Group A
Spain -Poland 83:78 Spain survived the opener against Poland to start Eurobasket 2011. The
defending champions won 83:78 as Poland had a great game versus one of the
favorites.
Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) was the first to score at Eurobasket 2011 as he
brought the first lead for Poland.
Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
Washington
St.) nailed three for 5:4, but then Spain needed an 8-0 run for 18:9.
Szczotka meanwhile closed the first period at 22:15. Szczotka and Leonczyk cut
it to 22:19 in the start of the second frame, while
Juan
Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) made two free throws for 24:19. He also closed a
run for his side at 29:19 and
Pau
Gasol (214-F/C-80) made it 35:23.
Juan
Carlos Navarro scored his 11th points from the perimeter to give the
favorites 40:25.
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85, agency:
Interperformances) made two free throws at the end of the half for 44:31
lead after 20 minutes. Pau
Gasol opened the third period with a jump shot to give Spain 15-point
advantage.
Adam
Hrycaniuk (208-C-84, college:
Cincinnati)
scored for 46:33 and his another jump-shot reduced to 50:36 midway through the
third period.
Juan
Carlos Navarro and
Szymon Szewczyk exchanged the shots for 53:40, while
Lukasz Koszarek (187-G-84) cut it to 54:42. Leonczyk and
Adam
Hrycaniuk closed the third period at 61:52.
Pau
Gasol made it 66:57 and
Juan
Carlos Navarro brought another two points from the free throw line. Poland
never gave up and
Lukasz Koszarek delivered two for 70:65.
Pau
Gasol scored his 24th points for 72:65 with 3 minutes in the game.
Adam
Hrycaniuk reduced to 72:67 and
Thomas Kelati scored for 73:69.
Juan
Carlos Navarro three was too much for the opponents as the Spanish player
brought 77:69 on the board.
Lukasz Koszarek however replied with 5 points in a row for 77:74 and
Pau
Gasol scored for 80:74.
Lukasz Koszarek and
Thomas Kelati made two free throws each for Poland to trail 2 points in the
last minute.
Juan
Carlos Navarro gave Spain 82:78 with 16 seconds to go and
Pau
Gasol made the final result in the game. Pau
Gasol erupted with 29 points for the winners and
Juan
Carlos Navarro netted 23.
Marc
Gasol ended up with 16 points, while
Serge Ibaka (208-C/F-89) added 7.
Lukasz Koszarek responded with 19 points in defeat, whilst
Thomas Kelati netted 18.
Adam
Hrycaniuk scored 12 and
Szymon Szewczyk delivered 10.
Turkey-Portugal 79:56 Turkey did not have any difficulties in Day 1 of the Eurobasket 2011.
The team edged Portugal 79:56 in Group A second game.
Santos and
Hidayet Turkoglu (206-F-79) became the first players to score for their
sides at EuroBasket 2011. The score was also tied at 4:4, while Turkey took the
lead later in the quarter.
Enes Kanter (208-C-92, college:
Kentucky)
scored for 10:4 and
Hidayet Turkoglu closed the first period for 15:9. Again
Enes Kanter made four in a row for 24:11, while
Emir
Preldzic (206-F-87, agency:
Beo Basket) made a jump shot for 26:13. Another 7-0 run in the middle of the
second period gave the Turkish side 33:15 advantage when
Enes Kanter scored his 12th points.
Elvis Evora (205-C-78) and Miranda meanwhile reduced to 35:22 and the latter
also nailed a three-pointer for 39:27. As it became clear after another 30
seconds in the court, that shot was the last successful in the first half.
The third quarter became decisive in the game and proved the superiority of the
Turkish side. After 25-11 in it the Turks took 64:38 after 30 minutes. Tunceri
increased the lead to 30 points in the start of the last frame and Silva scored
for 69:40. Savas brought 72:48 for Turkey and Akyol increased to 76:48. Savas
and Andrade were the last players to score for their teams to set up the final
result in the game.
Enes Kanter and
Hidayet Turkoglu poured in 14 points each for the winners, while
Omer
Onan (194-G-78) netted 10.
Elvis Evora responded with 12 points in the losing effort and Silva scored
9.
Lithuania-Great Britain 80:69 Lithuania got their EuroBasket off to a nervy start with an 80:69 win
over Great Britain.
Luol
Deng (201-F-85, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Duke) and
Reinking upset the home side twice from the perimeter for 6:0 lead in the
opening tip. Lithuania however replied with 8-0 run and took 8:6 after the shot
from
Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college:
Seton Hall).
Luol
Deng brought 14:10 for the guests and
Ksistof Lavrinovic (210-C-79) nailed three for 19:18 hosts advantage at the
end of the first period. Another two three-pointers from the Lithuanian player
saw 27:22 midway through the second frame.
Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) needed three for 38:30 and
Rimantas Kaukenas made two free throws for 44:35.
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college:
Maryland)
was the last to score from the free throw line for 10-point advantage at the
halftime.
The third quarter was a nightmare for the home side of Eurobasket. They scored
only 5 points and allowed Great Britain to post 18.
Joel
Freeland (208-F-87) made two free throws for 57:54 lead after thirty
minutes.
Ksistof Lavrinovic opened the last quarter with a jump shot and
Rimantas Kaukenas gave Lithuanian 58:57.
Luol
Deng gave his side the lead back, while
Sarunas Jasikevicius and Reinking scored for 61:60.
Simas Jasaitis and Petravicius brought 65:61 for the hosts and Kalnietis
later gave his side 70:63.
Rimantas Kaukenas scored another one from the perimeter for 10-point lead,
while
Simas Jasaitis brought 76:65.
Ksistof Lavrinovic and
Rimantas Kaukenas improved to 15-point lead and
Luol
Deng reduced to 80:69 at the very end.
Rimantas Kaukenas stepped up with 16 points, while
Sarunas Jasikevicius notched 13.
Ksistof Lavrinovic delivered 12 and
Simas Jasaitis scored 11.
Luol
Deng erupted with 25 points in defeat,
Daniel Clark (210-C-88, agency:
Interperformances) posted 15 and
Joel
Freeland added 14.
Group B
Serbia-Italy 80:68 The game between Serbia and Italy was the first one and one of the most
expected in Day 1 of the Eurobasket 2011. Serbia won 80:68 after a slow start.
Italy surprised the Serbian side with 7-0 run in the beginning of the game.
Danilo Gallinari (205-G/F-88, agency:
Players Group) scored for 16:8 and he made a dunk for 8-point advantage with
1 minute in the first period, but was the last in the first frame.
Milan Macvan (206-C-89, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) and
Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-85) opened the second quarter, while Bjelica tied
the game at 22:22. The latter also gave Serbia their first lead in the game as
he made all three free throws.
Milan Macvan drove a lay-up for 31:27 and Rasic was perfect from the free
throw line. Serbia won the second frame 25-11 and took 35:29 at the halftime.
The third quarter started bad for Italy that failed with 0-9 run and Serbia was
allowed to take 47:31. It seemed they would continue in the same way, but Italy
reduced to 55:45 when
Andrea Bargnani made two free throws. Moreover his 11th points in the game
reduced to 55:51, while
Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) scored for 57:51.
Andrea Bargnani again cut it to 57:53 that was at the very end of the third
period.
Keselj and
Milan Macvan scored for 61:53 and the latter closed another run at 68:53.
Milos Teodosic nailed three for 71:55 when it became clear about the winner.
Andrea Bargnani cut it to 75:61, while Perovic made it 77:61. Savanovic
nailed three for 80:64.
Andrea Bargnani scored the last four points for Italy in the game for the
final result.
Milos Teodosic and
Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency:
Beo Basket) led all the winners with 15 points each.
Milan Macvan netted 14, while
Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency:
INVICTUS Sports Group) posted 8.
Andrea Bargnani ended up with 22 points in the losing effort and
Danilo Gallinari had 15.
Germany - Israel 91:64 Germany recorded a well-deserved win in the EuroBasket opener.
Dirk
Nowitzki (211-F-78) scored 25 points to lead them past Israel in Group B.
The teams stayed close throughout the opening quarter. Germany eked out a 15:14
lead after ten minutes of action.
Robin Benzing (208-F-89) and
Dirk
Nowitzki organized an 11:0 run that put Germany up by 14 points at halftime
40:26. Germany opened the second half with a 9:2 run to boost the gap. They
stayed in control posting a 65:43 lead after three quarters of action. Germany
kept their opponents at bay throughout the fourth period and raced to the
victory at the end.
Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college:
Cent.Michigan) posted 18 points and 10 rebounds, while
Robin Benzing added 12 points in the victory.
Guy
Pnini (200-F/G-83) responded with 20 points for Israel.
Lior
Eliyahu (206-F/C-85, agency:
Z.A.G. - Law Offices) had 11 points in the loss.
France-Latvia 89:78 France expected an easier start, but had to enjoy the tough victory
over Latvia. Trailing in the majority of the game France pushed the tempo for
good in the second half and grabbed 89:78 win.
Boris Diaw (203-F/C-82) and
Mickael Gelabale (201-F-83) gave France the first lead by four points, while
Latvia dominated the opening period.
Janis Blums (190-G-82) nailed two three-pointers in a row for 9:6 and
Bertans closed the period also from the perimeter for 25:18.
Tony
Parker (183-PG-80) and
Rolands Freimanis (207-C/F-88, agency:
Players Group) exchanged the early baskets in the third quarter and then
France erupted with 13-0 run for 33:28 lead.
Mickael Gelabale and
Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) notched three threes for 33:28 on the board. Latvia
was too far to give up and again
Janis Blums and J. Strelnieks made threes for 36:35 lead.
Janis Blums nailed another one to score his 20 points in the first half at
41:35, while
Mickael Gelabale and
Boris Diaw sent the teams to the lockers for 41:40.
France looked better in the third quarter and managed to take the lead with 10
minutes to go. After 23-18 the board showed 63:59 when
Tony
Parker scored for France and Bertans closed the period. Again Bertans and
Strelnieks reduced to 65:63 early in the fourth, while Tchicamboud made two free
throws for 67:63.
Boris Diaw increased the lead to 6 points and
Tony
Parker delivered three for 72:65.
Nicolas Batum and
Mickael Gelabale netted threes for 78:70 and
Tony
Parker increased to 85:74. Meiers and
Boris Diaw exchanged the late baskets in the game as France won the opener.
Tony
Parker erupted with 31 points for the winners and
Boris Diaw followed him with 14.
Mickael Gelabale notched 11, whilst,
Nicolas Batum and
Joakim Noah (211-F/C-85, college:
Florida)
added 10 apiece.
Janis Blums had a great game for the Baltic team scoring 32 points and
Rolands Freimanis added 11.
Group C
Montenegro - FYR Macedonia 70:65 (OT) Montenegro celebrated the first win at 2011 EuroBasket. They needed
overtime to tame FYR Macedonia in Group C.
Vladimir Dasic (207-F-88, agency:
Beo Basket) stepped up with 20 points and 16 rebounds to pace the winners.
The teams stayed close throughout the opening quarter. Montenegro eked out a
15:14 lead after ten minutes of action. But FYR Macedonia took over late in the
second frame.
Lester McCalebb (183-PG-85, college:
New Orleans)
and Ilievski stepped up with four straight points to give them a 30:25 halftime
lead. The lead changed hands for several times throughout the third quarter.
Eventually the teams entered the fourth period tied at 49. Bakic,
Omar-Sharif Cook (186-PG-82, agency:
Beo Basket, college:
St.John's)
and Vranes put Montenegro up by 7 points midway through the fourth quarter but
it was not enough.
Lester McCalebb and
Pero
Antic (210-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) dragged FYR Macedonia within two points and then
Stojanovski tied things up at 61 sending the game into overtime.
Vladimir Dragicevic (206-C/F-86) and
Vladimir Dasic put Montenegro in front at the start of the extra term and
Montenegro hung on to escape with a tough win at the end.
Vladimir Dragicevic posted 12 points, while
Omar-Sharif Cook added 8 points in the win.
Lester McCalebb answered with 17 points for FYR Macedonia.
Pero
Antic had 11 points in the losing effort.
Greece opened Eurobasket 2011 with the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trailing after the first half, the Greek side needed a strong second half to
seal 76:67 win.
Bosnia and Herzegovina opened the game with some important baskets to take the
lead at the court.
Elmedin Kikanovic (210-C-88, agency:
Beo Basket) brought 13:8, while his another points showed 17:13 on the
board. Xanthopoulos closed the first period at 17:15 and Bramos reduced to
19:20. Greece stayed close to the opponent but could not tie the game.
Bajramovic scored for 32:29 and he sent the teams to the lockers for 34:31.
Vasiljevic and Dedovic gave Bosnia 39:35, while
Nikolaos Zisis (196-G-83) tied the game at 41:41. Then it was difficult to
stop Greece that found its game. After 24-15 in the third quarter they enjoyed
55:49 after three quarters.
Nikolaos Zisis nailed another three for 63:56 and Koufos delivered two fro
70:58. Bramos and
Nemanja Gordic (194-G-88) scored the last points for the teams to set up the
final result.
Nikolaos Zisis and
Nick Calathes (198-G-89, college:
Florida)
top-scored for the winners with 13 points each, while
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency:
FCM) added 12.
Elmedin Kikanovic ended up with 15 points in defeat and
Nemanja Gordic scored 12.
Croatia - Finland 84:79 Croatia registered their first win at 2011 EuroBasket. They held off
Finland in a tough battle in Alytus tonight. Finland led at halftime but Croatia
came from behind to snatch a tough win at the end.
Finland got to a brave start as they posted a 17:10 lead midway through the
opening quarter. Croatia answered with a 10:0 run to surge ahead. But Finland
eked out a 26:25 lead after ten minutes. Koivisto hit a three-pointer for a
42:31 lead for Finland midway through the second term. They hung on to post a
43:41 halftime advantage. Croatia pulled in front early in the third term and
soon used a 7:0 run to make it 60:52. They arrived at the final break leading by
four points 60:56. Finland cut the margin to a single point 75:76 with under two
minutes remaining. However Markota drained a triple and then Krunoslav Simon and
Marko
Popovic (185-G-82, agency:
Alti Sport, college:
S.Idaho JC)
sealed the winning outcome from the stripe.
Bojan Bogdanovic (202-G/F-89) stepped up with 27 points to pace the winners.
Ante
Tomic (217-C-87) added 14 points, while Marco Popovic had 12 in the victory.
Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) answered with 14 points for Finland.
Sasu Salin (190-PG-91) delivered 13 points in the loss.
Group D
Georgia - Belgium 81:59 Georgia set sail at the 2011 EuroBasket with victory. They knocked down
Belgium to gain the initial win at the tournament.
Georgia used a 7:2 run early in the encounter to surge ahead. They posted a
20:11 advantage ten minutes into the game. Soon
Tornike Shengelia (207-F-91) opened up a double-digit lead for Georgia. The
margin grew at 16-point mark in the second frame. Lauwers capped the half with a
three-pointer as Belgium got within 13 points at the interval 24:37.
Tornike Shengelia gave Georgia a 21-point advantage midway through the third
term. Belgium managed to get within 16 points at the final break 42:58. Moors
opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to drag Belgium within 13 points
45:58. But Georgia answered with a 10:0 run to leave Belgium behind. They never
looked back again cruising to the victory at the end.
Zaza
Pachulia (212-C-84) stepped up with 16 points, while
Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86) and
Tornike Shengelia scored 13 points each. The first one adding 11 boards and
4 assists in the victory.
Christophe Beghin (207-F-80, agency:
Court Side) answered with 13 points, 6 boards and 4 assists, while
Didier Mbenga (214-C-80) had 12 points in the loss.
Russia-Ukraine 73:64 Russia outscored Fratellos Ukraine 73:64 in the start of the Eurobasket
2011. Russia led 2 points with 3 minutes at the end but managed to produced an
8-2 run to seal the victory.
It was a slow start in the game as both teams had difficulties to score. Ukraine
kept Russia scoreless for more than three minutes and took 5:0 in the opening
tip.
Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) however tied the game at 7:7 and
Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) gave Russia the first lead at 9:7.
Andrei Kirilenko and Bykov scored for 15:11and for another two minutes of
the last periods the teams remained scoreless.
Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85, agency:
Alti Sport) and Kolchenko opened the second frame for 17:14, while
Serhiy Lishchuk (210-C/F-82, agency:
Beo Basket) reduced to 20:18. Burtt nailed three for 22:20 and
Vitaly Fridzon tied it all with 4 minutes in the first half.
Andrei Kirilenko later tied the game at 24:24, while Russia scored another 4
points in the second frame for 28:24 when the teams disappeared in the lockers.
Ukraine dominated the third period and managed to score more in the periods that
in two previous. Ukraine needed a 6-0 run at the very end as Kolchenko scored
four points from the free throw line and
Serhiy Lishchuk made it 53:50. Russia grabbed 10-point lead in the middle of
the last quarter, but Ukraine was too far to give up. Pecherov reduced to 61:55
and Zabirchenko nailed three for 63:61.
Serhiy Lishchuk made one free throw for 65:62, but then Russia finished the
game with 8-2 to seal the victory.
Andrei Kirilenko top-scored for the winners with 20 points and
Vitaly Fridzon added 12. Shved posted 10, while
Viktor Khryapa ended up with 8.
Serhiy Lishchuk finished the night with 13 points and
Viacheslav Kravtsov (212-C-87, agency:
Beo Basket) notched 12.
Slovenia - Bulgaria 67:59 Bulgaria put up a decent fight in their EuroBasket opener but
surrendered against Slovenia at the end. Erazem Lorbek stepped up with 18 points
and 9 rebounds to lead the winners. Bulgaria led in the fourth quarter but
Slovenia capped the regulation on an 11:0 run to steal a valuable win at the
end.
Slovenia opened the game with five points in a row but soon Bulgaria put their
noses in front 11:9. Slovenia gained back the lead late in the period
accumulating a 17:13 lead at the first break. Erazem Lorbek and Udrih gave
Slovenia a 23:14 lead midway through the second term. Bulgaria managed to narrow
the gap to just 4 points at the interval. Kostov put Bulgaria as close as one
early in the third term but Slovenia reacted with eight points in a row to clear
off. They ensured a 47:40 lead at the final intermission. Earl Rowland scored 7
points in an 11:0 run as Bulgaria grabbed a 57:51 lead
with under five minutes to go. But Slovenia came back from behind and sealed the
victory at the end.
Goran Dragic (194-PG-86)
finished with 13 points, 6 boards and 6 assists, while
Zoran Dragic (196-F/G-89)
contributed 12 points in the win.
Earl Rowland answered
with 20 points for Bulgaria.
Filip Videnov
(196-F/G-80, agency:
Interperformances,
college:
W.Kentucky) posted 14
points in the loss.
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Spanish National Team retains European crown (Photo: eurobasket2011.com)
