RIGA (Latvia) - Plenty of people expected Serbia and France to meet in the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
Instead, two underdogs proved it's never about the name on paper, as Georgia joined Finland in the elite eight of that part of the bracket.
Cheers of "Sakartvelo! Sakartvelo!" resonated through the building as Georgia added France to the list of big names they've already taken down in this event.
After beating the defending champs Spain on the first day of action, they have now eliminated the 2022 Finalists with an 80-70 win.
Turning Point
Georgia controlled the game, allowing France to be in front for just four minutes of the game. But they weren't able to open up a double digit lead at any point, leading to a dramatic finale of this one.
France trailed by nine points early in the fourth, but responded with three triples and tied the score at 66-all with four to play.
Tornike Shengelia knocked down a massive three-pointer to give the lead back to Georgia, and Kamar Baldwin followed it up with three free throws to make it 74-68 with 1:26 to play.
Gap good enough for Georgia to update their status as 'out of reach'.
TCL Player of the Game
Kamar Baldwin picked a perfect timing for his EuroBasket career-high, scoring 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.
He orchestrated the offense perfectly, and had a trustworthy partner in Tornike Shengelia, author of 24 points, too.
Stats Don't Lie
Georgia had their best shooting performance from beyond the arc when they needed it most, knocking down 10-of-18 from deep, unreal advantage over France (6-of-36 from 3PTS).
Bottom Line
Another upset! This event is a gift that keeps on giving, we need to update the biggest upsets in EuroBasket history article on daily basis.
Georgia have pulled it off, reaching the Quarter-Finals for the first time ever, in only their sixth participation in this competition.
While you can be sure they will celebrate this win in true Georgian fashion, they will come prepared for the Quarter-Finals rendezvous with Finland.
Coach Aleksandar Dzikic had his players focused through all 40 minutes, and they did not step away from their game plan even when France made their runs.
France, meanwhile, are in disbelief.
Coach Frederic Fauthoux could not count on a number of high profile players such as Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier, but the nation still believed these youngster could be a medal contender in Riga.
This is only the second time in the last 25 years that France are not among the top eight teams in Europe. Sylvain Francisco had 14 points in this one.
They Said
"Serbia was out, France is out. But Finland is one hell of a team and we gotta come out ready." - Alexander Sandro Mamukelashvili, Georgia, not focused on the big names that are not here, but on the opponent that's waiting in the Quarter-Finals
"This is the first time this happened, we won against France. Unbelievable! Unbelievable! I'm really happy, congrats to teammates, everyone, all our fans in Georgia and here. France are amazing, but today we played better in defense and offense." - Giorgi Shermadini, Georgia
"One of the best teams in the world for many, many years... In the huddle before the game, I told the guys that the environment around us is that we've achieved our goal, but we were going to play to win. We never stopped fighting, believing. Extremely proud. I wanna thank the people who came this far to Riga to support us, we felt the extra energy." - Tornike Shengelia, Georgia
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA