Latvia’s defeat at the hands of Belgium meant the rest of Sunday’s action was all about seeding for the EuroBasket 2013 quarter finals.
By the time Lithuania and Ukraine took to the court in Llubjana, both sides knew they were safely through to the quarter finals. Unsurprisingly much of this game had a feel of two teams going through the motions. There are bigger prizes ahead, not least potential spots in next year’s FIBA World Cup. Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas had his quietest game of the second phase but his former Toronto Raptors team mate Linas Kleiza came up big with 15 points and 5 boards in 23 minutes of play. Pooh Jeter was once again the main creative force for Ukraine, with 8 assists, but inconsistency from the field cost the underdogs. A 70-63 win means Lithuania finish the stage with a 4-1 record, Ukraine take the last quarter final spot with a 2-3 finish.
That game could have had a really different tone were it not for the heart of the Belgian Lions. Belgium, already eliminated from the reckoning for the quarter finals, finally got rewarded for their hard work with a win over Latvia. It was an awful day from beyond the arc for Latvia, going 5/29. With three-pointers crucial to their game, Latvia found themselves in a big hole late but put on a great surge to cut the deficit to the minimum. The Belgians held their nerve however and came through to win 60-56. The tournament has to go down as a success for a Belgium team which has been on the fringes of European basketball for three decades. The Lions roared on Sunday and ended Latvia’s involvement in the process.
The quiet spell recently endured by Nemanja Nedovic and whether he’d break out of it was the biggest question entering Serbia’s game with France. The Golden State Warrior had been hot through the early part of the tournament but had cooled off in the second phase. Nedmania came back with a vengeance against France. Nedovic had a huge game with 17 points and 3 rebounds, and he was arguably only the third best Serb on the floor. Nenad Krstic had his way inside for most of the evening and finished with 19 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic was also on top form as he delivered 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. The stats don’t tell the full story of just how good Serbia looked. France, for all their talent, didn’t look capable of competing with Serbia for most of the game. They rallied a few times to reel in the Serbs but even with impressive displays by Nicolas Batum and Alexis Ajinca on offence, their inability to curb the young guns for Serbia was a concern. Ajinca has really impressed for France in this tournament and the more I see of him, the more I want to see. Still, this was certainly an evening for Serbia to celebrate. They win 77-65 and look well placed to challenge in the knockout stages.
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