TAMPERE (Finland) - Montenegro are finally off the mark at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, as they paused Sweden's Round of 16 hopes with an 87-81 win in Tampere.
Montenegro head coach Bosko Radovic said after the Gameday 3 loss to Finland that he still believes in his side, and at the fourth time of asking, his players finally delivered, keeping their campaign alive heading into the final round of Group Phase games.
Turning Point
In a physically demanding first 20 minutes, Montenegro's offensive execution gave them a 40-34 half-time lead with Vladimir Mihailovic, Nikola Vucevic, and Emir Hadzibegovic all providing the spark. But whatever was said in the locker room at the break certainly motivated Sweden, as they outscored their counterparts 31-24 to edge ahead 65-64.
With plenty to play for, both teams fought tooth and nail. Kyle Allman took over for the Montenegrins by dropping 10 points in less than two minutes to give his side an 80-77 lead with 1:50 to play. When it was all said and done, Montenegro held their nerve down the stretch to grab a vital win.
TCL Player of the Game
Nikola Vucevic is not ready to go home just yet. The veteran was outstanding, scoring 23 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and blocking 3 shots in a sublime all-around performance with an efficiency valuation of 40.
Igor Drobnjak added 13 points in victory. Pelle Larsson led the Swedes with 28 points.
Stats Don't Lie
Sweden might have outscored Montenegro in the paint 42-38. Montenegro hit 12 second-chance points in a closely fought contest.
Bottom Line
Montenegro's Round of 16 dreams are alive and can lock up their spot with another victory over Great Britain. It was a tough blow for Sweden, who now have their fate out of their hands. Lithuania would have also advanced should Sweden have won, but have a chance to take care of their own business against Finland.
They Said
"The most important [thing] is victory tonight, and the most important we are still alive in this tournament and we must be prepared in the best way for the game against Great Britain," - Bosko Radovic, Montenegro head coach.
"This feels good, we lost the first three, pretty tough games, so it feels good to finally get one and keep the momentum of winning, so we can go into the next one and roll with this momentum that we have," - Kyle Allman, Montenegro
"I'm very disappointed that we couldn't get a win in such an important game for our country, but we also did a lot of good things, and we need to look at the video and see what small details decided this game, because it was a close game where they came out with. They took the grip of the game in the first half, and I think we changed it a lot in the second half, so it's disappointing," - Mikko Riipinen, Sweden head coach.
"I think we fought good. They were a good team in the end, and we have to look at the mistakes we made and improve for the next game," - Simon Birgander, Sweden
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA