Greece World Cup bound after beating Belgium
MUNICH (Germany) - Greece secured their spot in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 after they survived a battle with Belgium 72-70 on the road in Group I of the European Qualifiers.
Greece will be playing in the global spectacle for the sixth straight edition and the ninth time in the last 10 tournaments.
Group I
12/18 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Latvia* |
8 | 7 | 1 | 87.5 | 657 | 576 | 81 | 82.1 | 72 | 15 |
| 2 |  Serbia |
8 | 5 | 3 | 62.5 | 632 | 623 | 9 | 79 | 77.9 | 13 |
| 3 |  Greece* |
8 | 5 | 3 | 62.5 | 621 | 605 | 16 | 77.6 | 75.6 | 13 |
| 4 |  Turkey |
8 | 3 | 5 | 37.5 | 626 | 605 | 21 | 78.2 | 75.6 | 11 |
| 5 |  Belgium |
8 | 3 | 5 | 37.5 | 537 | 576 | -39 | 67.1 | 72 | 11 |
| 6 |  Great Britain |
8 | 1 | 7 | 12.5 | 555 | 643 | -88 | 69.4 | 80.4 | 9 |
* Qualified for the World Cup
November 14, 2022
Latvia 79-63 Great Britain - Riga, Latvia
Serbia 77-76 - Turkey - Belgrade, Serbia
Belgium 70-72 Greece - Mons, Belgium
Greece finish the deal with victory in Belgium
Greece finished off the deal and locked up their spot in the World Cup as they fought past a determined Belgium 72-70 on the road. The hosts gave Greece all their could handle as the contest was tight throughout with seven points the biggest lead for either team. Belgium were within one point with 39 seconds left when Greece missed a three-pointer to give Belgium the chance to win the game. But Giannoulis Larentzakis drew an offensive foul on Retin Obasohan to save the day for Greece.
The bank is open late for Nick Calathes! 🏦🇬🇷#FIBAWC x #WinForHellas
— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) November 14, 2022
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Larentzakis was big on offense as well with 20 points including 4 three-pointers while Nick Calathes had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists for the Greeks, who improved to 5-3. Obasohan finished with 30 points in the loss, which dropped Belgium to 3-5.
Serbia win home thriller over Turkey, stay on World Cup course
Serbia remained on course to reach the World Cup as they defeated Turkey 77-76 at home in a Group I thriller that lived up to its billing. Serbia improved to 5-3 in the group including two wins over Turkey, who fell to 3-5.
🔥 Gudura through the defense with the one-handed JAM 💥#FIBAWC x #WinForSerbia
— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) November 14, 2022
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The game was tight throughout with eight points being the biggest lead for either side. Each team came up with huge shots in the final few minutes before Marko Guduric's two free throws gave Serbia the lead 77-76 with 89 seconds to play. Scottie Wilbekin missed two free throws 20 seconds later for Turkey followed by turnovers from Kenan Sipahi and Luka Mitrovic before Wilbekin missed his shot at the buzzer.
Guduric finished the game with 18 points while Dusan Ristic picked up 16 points. Wilbekin paced Turkey with 22 points and Onuralp Bitim chipped in 18 points in the loss.
Latvia ease past Great Britain, win streak at nine games
Latvia continue to be the hottest team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers as they eased past Great Britain 79-63 for their ninth straight win in the qualification campaign. Latvia, who were already qualified for the World Cup coming into the game, started pulling away in the second quarter and never let Great Britain get back into the game.
Latvian fans came out to celebrate their World Cup-bound team
Rihards Lomazs came off the bench to score 15 points and Janis Timma tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds for Latvia, who finished Window 5 with a 7-1 record in the group. Great Britain dropped to 1-7 despite Luke Nelson picking up 16 points and 8 assists.
FIBA
