MANILA — Serbia blazed a triumphant path to the FIBA World Cup final by outgunning a star-studded Canadian squad, prevailing with a score of 95-86 in the knockout semifinal clash at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the charge for Serbia with an impressive 23 points, showcasing remarkable accuracy with an eight-of-12 shooting record.
It’s noteworthy that Serbia boasts the fewest NBA players among all the semifinalists, with just two in their roster.
Ognjen Dobric contributed 16 points to the cause, while Nikola Milutinov delivered a double-double performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Serbia now advances to the championship game, where they will face the victor of the other semifinal matchup between the USA and Germany (playing at press time).
The American team secured their spot in the semifinals with a dominant 100-63 triumph over Italy in the quarterfinals, while Germany advanced after a nail-biting 81-79 victory over the crowd favorite, Latvia.
As the final quarter began, it became increasingly evident that Serbia was on the verge of securing the first ticket to the championship game in this year’s edition of the world’s premier basketball tournament.
At that point, Serbia held a commanding 77-63 lead, boosted by a dazzling steal and score by Aleksa Abramovic, followed by a three-pointer from Marko Guduric.
A timely tip-in by Dejan Davidovac further extended Serbia’s advantage to 17 points (82-65) with 8:35 remaining.
In response, Canada called for a timeout in a desperate bid to halt Serbia’s momentum.
Dillon Brooks then drained a crucial three-pointer to briefly interrupt Serbia’s dominance.
However, the Serbians, resolute in their determination, maintained a tenacious defense and a well-coordinated offensive strategy, effectively keeping the Canadians at bay.
Canada never managed to significantly narrow the gap but at the final count and Serbia ultimately clinched the victory, securing their spot in the FIBA World Cup final.
After a silver medal finish in 2014, Serbia is now poised to contend for gold in the FIBA World Cup finals once again.
Serbia earned the first semifinal slot in the 2023 World Cup via a resounding 87-68 win over previously unbeaten Lithuania on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Team Canada advanced to the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 semifinals after taking down Slovenia 100-89 on Wednesday behind a 31-point, 10-rebound performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (ai/mnm)
