KATOWICE (Poland) - Slovenia came up with a convincing defensive display on Sunday to top Belgium 86-69 and Luka Doncic put the cherry on top by becoming only the fourth player since 1995 to register a triple-double in a FIBA EuroBasket game.
Turning Point
Belgium were in the lead for just the first 44 seconds of the game but Slovenia opted to go small ball early on and quickly found themselves in comfortable positions by forcing switches.
The FIBA EuroBasket 2017 champions easily controlled the first half and even made it a 21-point game at 76-55 with five minutes to go in the fourth. They were propelled by a historical performance by Luka Doncic.
TCL Player of the Game
It's Luka Magic day after day in Katowice but Sunday was truly special as the Slovenian superstar dropped the 4th FIBA EuroBasket triple-double since 1995 with 26 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers superstar also became the youngest player (26 years and 184 days old) to reach 400 EuroBasket points since Tony Parker in 2007 (25y 122d). From Slovenia, only Goran Dragic and Jaka Lakovic have reached this milestone.
Moreover, he has already reached at least 400 points, 100 assists, and 100 rebounds at EuroBasket, getting to those marks in just 19 games. Luka Doncic is the fastest at doing so in the 21st century.
Stats Don't Lie
Slovenia's superiority on the glass was evident in the Sunday opening game in Spodek Arena. They out-rebounded Belgium 43 to 31 and outscored them 40-18 in the paint.
Bottom Line
Led by #77 , Slovenia clinched their first win in FIBA EuroBasket 2025, after losing to Poland and France. They are now looking forward to celebrating again on September 2, when they will meet Iceland.
Moving to Belgium, Dario Gjergja's team found themselves once again on a losing record, at 1-2 in the Group D standings. The Belgian Lions hope to react and roar in the upcoming matchup against Israel.
They Said
"[Luka's triple double] is normal, we were just waiting for the moment, and it happened today. We need to keep going, stay together: that's the most important for our country" - Slovenia's Alen Omic.
"He's breaking records, and I've always believed he could do this. This is a normal day at the office for him. I'm even more glad that today we showed we can play good defense, and that we won." - Slovenia's Edo Muric.
"It's a completely different dynamic to play this kind of player, but we did our best. He put us in really big trouble in terms of fouls, and overall, Slovenia did a great job." - Belgium's Emmanuel Lecomte.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA