MINSK (Belarus) - Sweden knew they were going to advance as long as they avoid a blowout by 28 or more points. They have done so, losing the last game to Belarus 73-60, but still winning the group and advancing to the next round.

Turning Point: The first game in November 2018. Sweden won that one 87-59, and the large points difference meant that they had the upper hand in the three-way tie with Denmark and Belarus in Group A. They allowed Belarus to storm to a 15-point lead in Minsk, but the 28-point margin was never in danger, sending Sweden through to the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers.

Stats Don't Lie: Belarus were getting to the painted area at will, winning the points in the paint category 38-16, which was enough to win on the day. But, shooting 5-of-20 from beyond the arc, they weren't able to push the difference to 20+ points.

Game Hero: Artsiom Parakhouski had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block for Belarus, leading five players in double figures.

Game Notes: While Sweden will await the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers draw, Belarus will be active again during the summer, playing the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers Third Round in August.

They Said: "Belarus won. They've played with a lot of energy and shown the great tempo of the game. But I'm happy for my gyus. We've qualified. That was the goal. We had to. We've beaten Belarus by 28 points on the home court and that gave us an opportunity to lose by this amount of points. So finally this game makes me happy and I'm looking for the next qualification round." - Hugo Lopez, Sweden head coach

"This was a tough game for us. We came in here knowing that we could lose by some amount of points, but anyway, we were trying to show our best game, the same as we did on our home court. So we deserve it. We've qualified and we are very happy for that." - Johan Lofberg, Sweden

"First of all, I am glad that my team managed to win here in Minsk and make our fans happy. It's of great pleasure for me that young players played well and were able to act at the level of their more experienced colleagues. Today we presented good basketball, especially on defense. We have a lot of work to do. And I'm sure we will correct our mistakes in the next round of Pre-Qualifires." - Aliaksandr Krutsikau, Belarus head coach

"Today we won because of well-coordinated team actions and a good game on defense. Our young players have proven themselves well. Unfortunately, we could not get to the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers directly. But we don't despair, we are ready to fight for each point in future games." - Aliaksandr Kudrautsau, Belarus

FIBA