TUZLA (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - This is why they call him the Bosnian Beast. Jusuf Nurkic wears the number zero, but on Friday, he was nothing but a hero, as Bosnia and Herzegovina got back into the hunt for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 tickets.
Playing just under 23 minutes, Nurkic took 19 shots from the field, making 11 of those en route to 25 points, with 14 rebounds - six of them offensive - all enough for an efficiency rating of 28, the most by any player in any game in Europe on Friday.
Nurkic's size helped BIH in clutch moments, keeping his team a step ahead, and when Italy needed a miracle offensive rebound and put-back in the final seconds, they couldn't get it, allowing the sell-out crowd to celebrate a 78-76 win.
It was Bosnia and Herzegovina's first win over Italy, ever, with the head-to-head now tilted at 5-1.
With it, Dario Gjergja's men are now 3-4, back in contention for a top three finish in Group J, handing Italy only their second defeat of the entire Qualifiers.
On Monday, BIH travel to Lithuania. Playing without Jonas Valanciunas, they could be in for another monster performance from Nurkic, which is why the blue-and-yellow fans are already daydreaming of stealing a massive road win.
Bosnia and Herzegovina never made the World Cup. Knowing they don't have to face Türkiye and Serbia in their group anymore and defeating a 5-1 Italy side, they'll have all the confidence in the world to climb to the top half of the standings.
FIBA