EuroBasket Qualifiers: Wins for Croatia and Serbia, North Macedonia defeated at home
In round 3 FIBA EuroBasket qualifying, Serbia beat Denmark, North Macedonia was defeated at home against Lithuania while Croatia beat BiH in Zagreb.
(Photo: FIBA)
Lithuania secured a road victory against North Macedonia, winning 82:67 in Group H. Lithuania started strong, ending the first quarter with a commanding 23:9 advantage. They maintained control throughout the game. Kistijan Nikolov was the top performer for North Macedonia, netting 18 points and providing 6 assists.
Serbia defeated Denmark with a score of 72:52 in Copenhagen. Serbia dominated the first quarter, holding Denmark to just 6 points while scoring 29 themselves, which set the tone for the game. Partizan Mozzart Bet big-man, Balša Koprivica was the standout for Serbia, scoring 13 points on 5/6 shooting and grabbing 5 rebounds.
Croatia triumphed over Bosnia and Herzegovina with a score of 89:76 in Zagreb. The decisive factor was a dominant third quarter where Croatia limited their opponent to just 12 points, building a 73:60 lead by the end of the quarter. Two-time AdmiralBet ABA League MVP, Luka Božić, led Croatia with an impressive performance, scoring 25 points on 9/11 shooting, along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Former Partizan Mozzart Bet guard, Jaleen Smith, also contributed significantly with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zadar star, Amar Gegić, was the standout, recording 18 points and 8 rebounds.
EuroBasket Qualifiers Round 3, Group G, Thursday, 21 February:
Denmark – SERBIA 52:72 (6:29, 13:14, 16:19, 17:10)
Engelhardt 13, Pedersen 10 | Koprivica 13, Avramović & Ristić 10.
Group H:
North Macedonia – LITHUANIA 67:82 (9:23, 18:21, 16:20, 24:18)
Nikolov 18, Stojanovski 13 | Echodas 18, Normantas 16.
Group E:
CROATIA – Bosnia and Herzegovina 89:76 (30:19, 20:29, 23:12, 16:16)
Božić 25, Smith 22 | Gegić 18, Alibegović 14.
