SPORTS
Serbia edge Russia to book Finals date with Slovenia
Baku, September 16, AZERTAC
Serbia edged Russia 87-79 in a see-sawing Semi-Final to book a date with Slovenia in the Final, according to the official website of FIBA.
It was a game of spurts with momentum swinging wildly within minutes. Russia trailed for much of the game by double digits before getting within 2 points midway through the fourth. Aleksei Shved missed a wide open deep three for the lead, only for Vasilje Micic to connect from deep at the other end. It gave the momentum to Serbia and they hung on from there.
With the towering Boban Marjanovic, Serbia absolutely dominated in the paint, despite Russia having no shortage of size themselves. Serbia won the battle down-low, outscoring Russia 44-22 in the paint.
It was a shootout between Shved and his counterpart Bogdan Bogdanovic with the pair scoring at will. However, Bogdanovic was more efficient and hit several clutch shots at the end to ensure Serbia held on for the win.
Serbia led for most of the game through a 14-0 run in the second quarter. However, the game took several turns as Russia would not give up. With Shved scoring in spurts, Russia fought right back getting it to a single possession game until Serbia steadied late.
Bogdanovic finished with 24 points and was supported by Marjanovic's 18 points and 6 rebounds. Shved scored 33 points for Russia, who will play Spain for Bronze.
Serbia will be playing in the Final for the first time since 2009 but had an injury scare when point guard Stefan Jovic hobbled off with a leg injury in the third quarter.