LIMASSOL (Cyprus) - The 32-year wait is finally over. Bosnia and Herzegovina can once again celebrate advancing from the first group stage of a FIBA EuroBasket after beating Georgia to reach the Round of 16.
Bosnia and Herzegovina came out inspired by their fans and got the job down with a 84-76 victory for a 3-2 record in Group C. The last time Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced came in 1993 when they finished eighth.
Georgia dropped to 2-3 but still have a chance to qualify for the Round of 16 if Spain lose to Greece in the day's final game.
Turning Point
Bosnia and Herzegovina never trailed in the game and the lead was 24-20 early in the second quarter when the Dragons used a 9-2 spurt to open a 33-22 advantage. The cushion grew to 15 points at 56-41 when Georgia got back into the game and made it 65-60 late in the third quarter.
Georgia never managed to get all the way back, tying it 71-71 with 7 minutes to go. But John Roberson and Aleksandar Lazic both drained big three-pointers and Georgia were back down nine points - 80-71 - to decide the game.
TCL Player of the Game
Jusuf Nurkic shined once again as Bosnia and Herzegovina's main leader in collecting 15 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists.
John Roberson hit 4 three-pointers for 15 points and 5 assists, Kenan Kemanjas scored 13 points while Edin Atic compiled 11 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks. Georgia's three-headed attack of Kamar Baldwin (18 points, 4 rebounds), Sandro Mamukelashvili (20 and 8) and Goga Bitadze (15 and 5) combined for 53 points and 17 rebounds.
Stats Don't Lie
Bosnia and Herzegovina shot 50 percent from the floor and made 14 three-pointers at a 44 percent clip while dishing out 24 assists. Georgia made just 7 three-pointers though their percentage was solid at 35 percent. Georgia had only 4 bench points.
Bottom Line
Bosnia and Herzegovina are Riga bound - the words Dragons fans have waited desperately to hear for decades. Their opponent in the Round of 16 remains to be seen. Georgia meanwhile will go home despite having beaten the reigning champions Spain in the opening game.
They Said
"We made a win for history after 30 years and we are going to Riga. We can play against everybody when we play our way. And we showed that today." - Kenan Kamenjas, Bosnia and Herzegovina
"Man, this is a special moment, a special moment. I was part of the team at EuroBasket three years ago that didn't make it. We were one win away. So to come back and have a chance to play for a championship is just crazy." - John Roberson, Bosnia and Herzegovina
"We deserve this. We rebuilt the national team seven years ago and we did a big job to be here. It was hard work and we are proud of ourselves. I believes this team has much more space to improve as a team and I believe we can better in the future. This is not our maximum." - Amar Gegic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
"You win some, you lose some. We got off to a slow start and didn't make smart decisions and that kind of got us in a hole at the end of the first half. But we fought and came together. We tied it in the fourth but we're able to get the win." - Kamar Baldwin, Georgia
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA