KATOWICE (Poland) - Luka Doncic and Slovenia had to dig deep to overcome the resistance of never-say-die Iceland on Tuesday but the reward for their hard-fought 87-79 victory is a place in the Round of 16, in Riga.
Alongside the 2017 European champions, France also benefit from this result, joining Poland and Israel as the teams who have booked the four top spots in Group D. They will battle it out to determine the exact placement in the standings on the final day of action in Katowice.
Turning Point
Iceland has proved time and again that they are among the toughest competitors in Group D, and Tuesday's game wasn't an exception. Slovenia went up by 14 points, 60-46, late in the third frame, but Iceland fought back and reduced the deficit to just 5, 70-65, on a Martin Hermannsson's deep triple with 6:21 to go.
Tryggvi Hlinason fouled out with 3:26 minutes left to dent Iceland's hopes, and Gregor Hrovat hit a dagger corner three with 45 seconds on the clock to sentence the game for Slovenia.
TCL Player of the Game
He might not have dropped another triple-double, but Luka Doncic still is a game-changer for the Slovenian national team on any given day. The Slovenian leader finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in the win. Despite not having a good afternoon from beyond the arc (2-of-10), the Lakers superstar provided clutch plays and leadership for Aleksander Sekulic's team. Expect even more from the Slovenian phenomenon in Riga.
Eight years after scoring 18 points against Slovenia at FIBA EuroBasket 2017, Martin Hermannsson had his best performance of the 2025 tournament, with 22 points and 6 assists.
Stats Don't Lie
Turnovers were key in Iceland's loss, as Craig Pedersen's team turned the ball over on 18 occasions. Slovenia took perfect advantage, outscoring their opponents 22-2 in points off turnovers.
That was enough to neutralize Iceland's edge inside as, propelled by the giant Hlinason, who had 11 points and 14 rebounds in defeat, the Vikings prevailed 32-26 in points in the paint.
Bottom Line
After Israel and Poland, Slovenia are the third team from Group D to book a ticket in the Round of 16. Led by Doncic, they reacted swiftly after losing their first two matchups to Poland and France.
Iceland remained winless at 0-4 in the Group D standings, as this was their 14th consecutive defeat at EuroBasket in three participations. They hope to make history in their last game in Katowice, against France.
They Said
"We just needed patience. We went into the game too wild, because running with them doesn't give you a good result. When we started playing at a slower pace, the game came to us. It was far from an easy game, respect to Iceland and to their fans." - Slovenia's Edo Muric.
"I faced [Tryggvi Hlinason] already many times, and it was never easy. But he has shown that he has improved a lot. We need to try to be better and erase our mistakes. We will try our best in the next game." - Slovenia's Alen Omic.
"We showed that we are a competitive team. We've been close in all the games. Usually, teams have more skill and talent than us, but we tend to fight back and stay in the game. It's a sign of strength in us and in our mentality." - Iceland's Tryggvi Hlinason.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA