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23 November, 2017
21 August, 2019
9 Darko Jukic (DEN), Denmark v Austria (Photo: Thomas Haugsted)
01/07/2018
Game Report
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Danish youngsters survive dramatic finish in Albania, remain perfect in Pre-Qualifiers

TIRANA (FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers) - Having already secured passage to the Second Round, coach Erez Bittman decided to give his younger players minutes in Albania. They delivered him an 86-78 win.

Turning point: Klaudio Ndoja nailed a three-pointer that gave Albania a 78-77 lead with just under three minutes to go. But Albania would not score the rest of the way, as Jonathan Gilling scored five straight for Denmark, leaving Jonas Bergstedt and Darko Jukic with an opportunity to close this one out.

Game hero: Darko Jukic was superb in this Window, and he showed he can do a bit of everything in his 23-point outing. Jukic connected on 10-of-14 from the field, so coach Bittman and the rest of the team won't mind his 0-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe.

Stats don't lie: Denmark were dominant inside, scoring 52 points in the paint, compared to 34 of Albania in that same column. They were once again running with pace, with a 22-9 edge in fast-break points.

Game notes: Denmark finish the First Round as the only unbeaten team of the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers. Albania end it as the only team without a single win to their name.

They said: "My team was coming off of a third win, and we were on a low to start the game. Our defense was not successful at times, and that opened up a space for a close game." - Erez Bittman, Denmark head coach

FIBA