TAMPERE (Finland) - Finland will move on to the Round of 16 after a hard fought 85-65 victory over Montenegro in front of a second consecutive 12,900 sell-out at the Tampere Deck Arena.
Joy for the hosts, but for the winless Montenegro side, desperation mode is creeping in as they must find a way to end their losing run if they are to advance.
Turning Point
After a cagey first quarter, which saw 11 lead changes and both sides knotted at 23-23, Finland took the initiative first with a 12-1 run in the second, highlighted by a thunderous slam by Lauri Markkanen, which he followed with a stunning spin move to the basket and score.
Montenegro would claw their way back, but the hosts maintained their double-digit stranglehold at the half thanks to a basket from Edon Maxhuni as the final seconds ticked away. From there, Finland's lead would peak at 18 points en route to victory.
TCL Player of the Game
Following his 43-point outburst in the previous game against Great Britain, Markkanen was made to work hard for his 26-point haul against a courageous Montenegrin defense. However, the Finnisher sealed his place as the TCL Player of the Game with an additional 13 rebounds and a near-perfect 9-of-10 from the foul line.
Mikael Jantunen added 11 points in the victory for the hosts. Montenegro had a tournament-best performance from Andrija Slavkovic, as he poured in 15 in vain.
Stats Don't Lie
Shooting a high percentage from inside the arc is a must if you are to win. Finland certainly achieved that by connecting on 67 percent of their attempts from two-point land. While Montenegro went a subpar 14-for-33
Bottom Line
Both sides enjoy a rest day on Sunday, Finland will look to their penultimate clash with Baltic giants Lithuania to maintain their momentum as they have one eye on Riga. Conversely, Montenegro take on Sweden and Great Britain in their final two games and must find at least one win to stand any hopes of progressing.
They said
"We are still far from what we can do, and we knew that this was going to be a totally different basketball game because Montenegro is so huge and they play a different basketball than Great Britain. So we needed to tune up our way of playing, and how we saw it, we did it the best possible way, and that was why we were in control," - Lassi Tuovi, Finland head coach.
"They're a big, physical team, every team we face is different, and we make adjustments in meetings and have effective walkthroughs in shootaround, and we got the victory, but it just shows that our preparation was there," - Jacob Grandison, Finland.
"Tonight we showed some reaction. But in the final [stages], the same old mistakes again. We have two more games, Sweden and Great Britain. We are still trying to pass the group. We just need to rest tomorrow and prepare for Sweden, and try to win the next two games and pass the group," - Bosko Radovic, Montenegro head coach.
"I definitely think we played a little better tonight in some aspects. I think we started the game really good. I think we showed better reaction in certain moments when things didn't go well for us until the end.
"Obviously, turnovers that hurt us, and some offensive rebounds. And I think also just myself tonight, it wasn't a good game for me, only seven points where we missed those points, and I also had some turnovers where I have to be better," - Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA