LIMASSOL (Cyprus) - There will be a new champion at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 as Greece eliminated reigning champs Spain from contention by bouncing back from their last loss to head to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 knockout stage with confidence.
Greece set the tone early in beating the four-time winners 90-86 for a 4-1 record and first place in Group C. Spain for their part finished group play with a 2-3 record, failing to advance from the opening stage for the first time since 1977.
Greece's win means Georgia also booked their ticket for Riga as they had a 2-3 record and beat Spain.
Turning Point
Tyler Dorsey scored 14 points and Greece went on a 14-0 run to open a 30-14 lead - thanks to 8 of 10 three-pointers. Spain fought back into the game and pulled within 38-33 before the Greeks responded with a 13-2 close to the first half and went into the break up 50-36.
Spain fought all the way to tie the game 71-71 and eventually pulled ahead 84-82. But Giannis Antetokounmpo scored two baskets to shift the momentum back to Greece. Juancho Hernangomez missed all three free throws with 13 seconds left and Spain down 88-84 and Santi Aldama only split two foul shots with 9.4 seconds remaining.
TCL Player of the Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo started the game slow scoring wise with just 2 points in the first quarter but he had 4 assists. The NBA superstar finished the game flirting with a triple-double in gathering 25 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists.
Tyler Dorsey added 22 points on 6 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Kostas Sloukas chipped in 12 poinrs and 6 assists in the victory. Jaime Pradilla had 14 points to lead Spain, who also had Mario Saint-Supery score 13 points and Santi Aldama added 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Stats Don't Lie
Greece shot 53 percent for the game including 48 percent on three-pointers. Spain only committed 7 turnovers but they made just 21 of 37 free throws for 57 percent
Bottom Line
Greece finished top of the group and will go to Riga on a high having beaten and eliminated the reigning champions Spain. With the loss, Spain became the first champion unable to advance from the first group stage since 1993 winners Germany were ousted in 1995.
Spain actually had dominated Greece of late with a 19-7 record including seven wins in the eight games since 2006, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006 Final, the Semi-Finals of the 2007 and 2009 EuroBaskets and the 2015 EuroBasket Quarter-Finals.
They Said
"That is history and we have a lot of young guys and I don't think they were thinking about histor, just securing first place. It was a tough game. We did well. I'm happy for the guys, happy for us. We have more work to do. We've been working all summer for these kinds of games so this was a good mental test for us to find the rhythm." - Tyler Dorsey, Greece
"This win gives us confidence for the continuation and we are very happy. It's been so many years (since beating Spain), we are happy about it but it's just a win. We need to relax because the more important games are coming." - Dinos Mitoglou, Greece
"Nobody dreams of losing his last game, I would have loved to have won it. But I can't be prouder of the effort from my players. It's unbelievable how they came back ... the effort, the competitiveness, the energy they put into the game was unbelievable. The future is bright. Somebody else will be at the helm of this team but I recommended to my players to stay together and key loving the shirt." - Sergio Scariolo, Spain
"This is not the way we wanted to end this tournament - for us, for Sergio. But I am super proud of all my teammates and the coaching staff. We need to take this as a learning experience. Our future is bright. We have really talented young players. It's a work in progress. We still have a lot of things to do to improve." - Willy Hernangomez, Spain
This game report will be updated in the coming moments. Stay tuned.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA