Bahamas beat Finland in Group B at Fonteta
MADRID, 3 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Slovenia’s men’s basketball team, captained by former Real Madrid player Luka Doncic, lost 92-108 to Croatia on Tuesday at the start of the Pre-Olympic Tournament being held in Piraeus (Greece), while the Bahamas team beat Finland 85-96 in the competition being held in Valencia (Spain).
At the Peace and Friendship Hall, the Croatian team took an early lead of 4-13 and extended the advantage until the break (41-54). Despite the efforts of the Dallas Mavericks point guard, who finished the game with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 29 PIR credits, the Slovenian team was unable to close the gap.
With Goran Filipovic as the standout player, with 21 points and 28 PIR, Croatia maintained their lead in the third quarter and only their relative relaxation in the final minutes made the Slovenian team dream of a comeback that never came. This defeat complicated their future in Group A, pending a face-off against New Zealand.
Meanwhile, in Group B of the same tournament, the Dominican Republic beat Egypt 77-90 thanks to a comeback from the second period. The top scorer in the Caribbean ranks was Jean Montero, point guard for MoraBanc Andorra, with 17 points. The team that was bye-bye in that group was Greece, the host and main candidate for the only ticket to the Paris Games.
On the other hand, in the Pre-Olympic tournament held at the Fuente de San Luis Pavilion, the Bahamas team relied on Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon to beat Finland 85-96 without Lauri Markkanen, who is suffering from shoulder problems. On the second day on the Fonteta court, the Bahamians will play against Poland, looking at a semi-final match or even a final against the Spanish team.
In addition, at the Pre-Olympic tournament held in Riga (Latvia), the host team defeated Georgia 55-83 in Group A and the Brazilian team beat Montenegro 81-72 in Group B, with the Philippines and Cameroon waiting to get into action this Wednesday during the second day of these peculiar championships on the road to Paris 2024.
2024-07-02 22:28:18
#Luka #Doncics #Slovenia #brink #elimination #Olympic #Qualifiers
