Recap of Day 3 in Izmir

Zacharie Perrin

Italy - Montenegro 76-41
Italy cruised past Montenegro to finish second in Group D. The Azzurri dominated from the start. They accumulated a 42-19 halftime lead and coasted to the win in the second half. Emmanuel Innocenti (197-F-2004) produced 12 points for Italy. Igor Jokovic (192-SG-2004) answered with 10 points for Montenegro.

Greece - Slovenia 61-73
Slovenia beat Greece for 2-1 record in Group C. Slovenia piled up a comfortable 42-25 halftime lead. Greece narrowed the gap in the second half but could not avoid the loss. Alen Zulic (192-SG-2004) posted 19 points, while Jan Zemljic (178-G/F-2004) and Matija Samar (194-F/G-2004) had 10 points each for Slovenia. Vangelis Zougris (202-C/F-2004, agency: Network Sports International) dropped 20 points for Greece.

Lithuania - Croatia 83-54
Lithuania cruised past Croatia to finish group phase undefeated. The Baltic side piled up a 42-34 halftime lead. They held Croatia to only 20 points in the second half and marched to the win. Paulius Murauskas (203-F-2004) sank 16 points, while Rokas Jocys (195-SG-2004) added 13 points for Lithuania. Vigo Bart (2005) and Marko Vucic (200-F-2004) had 9 points each for Croatia.

France - Israel 82-66
France rallied past Israel for the third straight win in Izmir. Zacharie Perrin (207-C-2004) stepped up with 20 points and 8 rebounds for les Bleues. France grabbed a 47-27 halftime advantage and eased to the victory in the second half. Bilal Coulibaly (196-G-2004) tossed in 13 points for France. Niv Avidan (197-F-2004) hauled in 14 points for Israel.

Serbia - Czech Republic 82-65
Serbia outlasted Czech Republic for the third consecutive win at the championship. Serbia unloaded 31 points in the first period to gain an 18-point lead. They shielded the lead well throughout the reminder of the contest and drove to the win. Marko Sarenac (207-PF-2004), Luka Andric (198-SG-2004) and Ilija Milijasevic (187-G-2004) accounted for 15 points each for Serbia. Simon Svoboda (194-F-2004) answered with 13 points for Czech Republic.

Spain - Poland 70-49
Spain cruised past Poland to enter the playoffs undefeated. Spain grabbed a 31-19 halftime lead. They followed with a 20-9 run in the third term to clear off for good. Izan Almansa (200-C-2005) accounted for 13 points for Spain. Maksymilian Wilczek (197-G/F-2004) tossed in 12 points for Poland.

Turkey - Germany 68-64
Turkey posted the second win in Group B. They held off Germany for 2-1 record. Germany enjoyed a 21-14 lead ten minutes into the game. They entered the fourth term up by 8 points. But Turkey used a 17-5 run in the final term to snatch the win. Kerem Konan (198-SF-2004) delivered 21 points and 9 rebounds for Turkey. Kilian Brockhoff (205-PF-2004) notched 16 points for Germany.

North Macedonia - United Kingdom 69-71
United Kingdom recorded the first win in Izmir. They nipped North Macedonia to gain 1-2 record. Lane Campbell (188-G-2004) deposited 19 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. United Kingdom eked out a 36-33 halftime lead. North Macedonia cut the deficit to a single point heading into the fourth quarter. But United Kingdom poured in 21 points in the final frame and got away with a narrow win at the end. Ben Brown (193-G-2004) provided 14 points for the winners. Teodor Simikj (215-C-2004) nailed 19 points and collected 13 caroms for North Macedonia.