ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - Serbia know they are not where they want to be, but that doesn't mean Nikola Kusturica and co. are not thrilled about reaching the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026. This is the first time the country are among the top four in the world since 2014.
Serbia prevailed in a hard-fought 101-78 victory over Lithuania to book their ticket to the Semi-Finals, where they will face the winner of the final Quarter-Final between hosts Türkiye and France.
"I'm really happy. I think that we did an incredible job staying calm after they came back. The teammates calmed me down. I was a little nervous, I'm not going to lie, but that's why we're such a good group and a team. Now we have to keep going. Not have a lot of fun, just getting ready for tomorrow and playing the same way," said Kusturica, who collected 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.
The Barcelona forward has been outstanding all tournament, collecting 22.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.0 blocks.
"It's been tough because I was dealing with a lot of injuries. I came back and had like five or six practices with the team. It was tough getting back condition-wise and body-wise. But when you've got to play for your country, you have to have a lot of pride and not care about those things."
Serbian head coach Stevan Mijovic didn't hold back in his praise of his leader, saying: "What to talk about Nikola. Nikola is the most talented kid in in last 20 years in Serbia."
The matchup came a summer after the two sides faced off three times. Lithuania won both games against Serbia at the European Youth Olympic Festival - including the third place game. But Serbia got the important win - beating them 99-86 in the Final of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025.
The game was tight in the first quarter but Serbia surged ahead by 10 points in the second frame and led 44-34 at the break. The Lithuanians' offense woke up after getting back on the court, taking the third quarter 33-22 and actually building a seven-point gap 63-56. The Serbians reeled them back in and were down 67-66 after 30 minutes.
The game was knotted 69-69 early in the fourth quarter when Matija Lukic scored 9 points in a 20-1 run to give the Serbs an 89-70 lead with under 4 minutes to play.
Kusturica said it was a battle against a Lithuania team they know very well.
"These guys are a really tough team, also one really good group. They're always fighting, as you saw. They came back after halftime and really started fighting against us. Really tough team. I really respect their team, and I think they will now win all the games, to be honest with you," said Kusturica.
Serbia now are one victory from a second medal after taking third place in 2014. Kusturica and co. would love to top the podium but any hardware would make it a great run in Istanbul.
FIBA