Quarter-Finals lineup confirmed, as Serbia, Germany take last available tickets

LJUBLJANA / TEL AVIV (Slovenia / Israel) - The field for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 Quarter-Finals is now known after Serbia followed Germany in taking the last spots on Tuesday in Ljubljana.

Defending champions Serbia beat Great Britain in the last of the Qualification For The Quarter-Finals games to set up a clash with Belgium, following on from Germany beating Slovakia to make a return to the top eight for the first time since 1997.

The Quarter-Finals will be played at the Stozice Arena in Ljubljana on Thursday, June 22, with the pairings as follows:

Hungary vs Czech Republic
Spain vs Germany
France vs Montenegro
Belgium v Serbia

Serbia outlast Great Britain in dogfight

It was not high on the entertainment and beautiful basketball scale, but compelling in a different way as Serbia fought to continue their title defense. They eventually closed out a 66-60 victory against the Brits and set up a mouth-watering Quarter-Finals clash with Belgium.

Missing 14 free-throws, Serbia made life difficult for themselves, while Jovana Nogic was the player who arguably did most to get Serbia victory, finishing with a team high 16 points. Temi Fagbenle signed off with 20 points and 7 rebounds for Great Britain.

Guelich comes up with the goods for Germany to set up a date with Spain

It was Marie Guelich who fueled another win for her team as she showed out in the 79-69 success. The frontcourt star stepped off the court having registered 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists as Germany made it three wins out of four at the tournament.

There had been little between the sides in the early stages of the contest but Germany gradually took control off the back of their defense and then never relinquished it. Leonie Fiebich also impressed with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Ivana Jakubcova had a team-high 16 points in defeat for Slovakia who now head home.

Montenegro race out of the blocks and shut down Italy

It's likely that few people predicted Montenegro getting past Italy, let along doing so with a comfortable double-digit win as Jelena Skerovic and her team strutted into the last eight off the back of a 63-49 victory. An electric opening paved the way as they jumped all over Italy and once they found themselves 29-10 ahead, they never looked in danger of letting their grip go.

Milica Jovanovic was the catalyst with some incredible early work and she finished with 17 points and 8 boards, while teenager Marija Lekovic took over and netted 15 points. Meanwhile, Natasha Mack went 6 of 7 from the field in a super smart showing on her way to 13 points, while also pulling down 15 rebounds. This is the third time Montenegro have reached this stage of the tournament, having also done so in 2011 on their debut and in 2015.

Czech Republic young guns make the top eight for the first time in a decade

With an average age of just 24 years old, the Czech Republic defied expectations with a gripping and highly entertaining 79-76 success against Greece in the Qualification for the Quarter-Finals in Tel Aviv.

In a massive team effort, they had their bench contribute a stunning 41 points, including 15 from Veronika Sipova and important cameos from teenagers such as Emma Cechova and Dominika Paurova.

However, it was Petra Holesinska who held things together when it mattered most. The guard finished with 19 points and 8 assists, also making 8 from 8 from the free-throw line, including a string of them in the closing seconds.

Czech Republic are now moving on to face Hungary on Thursday in Ljubljana, while Greece are heading home - although that is tough on both Mariella Fasoula and Artemis Spanou. The former had 26 points and 13 boards, with Spanou adding 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Qualification for the Quarter-Finals Highs

Efficiency: 33 - Marie Guelich (GER)
Points: 26 - Marie Guelich (GER), Mariella Fasoula (GRE)
Rebounds: 15 - Natasha Mack (MNE)
Assists: 9 - Pinelopi Pavlopoulou (GRE)
Steals: 2 - Multiple Players

Results 

Ljubljana - Tuesday June 20

Germany 79-69 Slovakia
Serbia 66-60 Great Britain

Tel Aviv - Monday June 19

Czech Republic 79-76 Greece
Montenegro 63-49 Italy

FIBA