LIMASSOL (Cyprus) - Bosnia and Herzegovina gave more life to their chances of reaching the Round of 16 with an energetic, hard-fought 80-77 victory over already qualified Greece - the Dragons' second win in Group C.
The boisterous fans of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Spyros Kyprianou Arena in Limassol will not care that Greece's superstar Giannis Antetokoumnpo sat out the game for Greece. Their beloved team still evened their record at 2-2 going into the final game of the Group Phase.
Turning Point
Greece had an 11-point lead in the first quarter and the gap was 13 points early in the second frame. But Bosnia and Herzegovina wrestled away control of the game with an 18-0 surge to go up 39-34.
The momentum continued in the third quarter as the cushion swelled to 12 points 53-41. Greece managed to trim the gap to six points but Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to hit big shots and led by as many as 14 points early in the final frame. The Greeks fought as close as five points but it was not meant to be.
TCL Player of the Game
Jusuf Nurkic was his usual force for Bosnia and Herzegovina with 18 points while he also grabbed 10 rebounds - six of them from the offensive glass. And the NBA big man had even more to offer with 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.
John Roberson chipped in 18 points with 4 three-pointers and Edin Atic collected 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Kostas Sloukas led Greece with 15 points and 8 assists and Tyler Dorsey had 14 points.
Stats Don't Lie
Bosnia and Herzegovina forced 17 Greece turnovers and turned them into 15 points. They also made 11 three-pointers to help survive just 46 percent on free throws.
Bottom Line
By beating Greece for just the second time in 10 games, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have an extra boost of confidence ahead of their big game on Thursday against Georgia. Meanwhile, Greece for their part will finish the Group Phase with a showdown against reigning champions Spain.
They Said
"(Giannis Antetokounmpo not playing) didn't change a lot. We still had the defense. Regardless who you play, you have to have the same discipline. For most of the night we had a lot of discipline. But I'll take any win." - Jusuj Nurkic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
"It was a good game for us. We did what we needed to do. We learned to stay together through all the downs. Also thanks to our fans who are crazy every game." - Ajdin Penava, Bosnia and Herzegovina
"We had an agreement in the locker room to do a job today, regardless of win or not. But we wanted to do a job. And we really did it and gave us a big boost for the next game against Georgia." - Adin Vrabac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
"That was a good test for us. We needed that battle. We still showed heart. It was still difficult. We need to figure out the physical part, when teams get physical when need to attack back instead of retreating." - Tyler Dorsey, Greece
"It's just one of those games where you have to learn from it and get better. We need to work on pace, rhythm and being physically and mentally ready." - Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Greece
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA