Serbia knocks defending champion Spain out at FIBA worlds

source: The Associated Press

World championship dark horses Serbia upset holders Spain to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday with a heart-stopping 92-89 win secured by Milos Teodosic’s three-pointer three seconds from time.

Teodosic, who otherwise had a poor shooting day, launched the winning shot with a Spanish defender in his face to send his team mates and a handful of Serbia fans into raptures.

“This is a fantastic win and we hope it’s not our last, we now have to come down to earth quickly and prepare for the semi-final,” Teodosic, who finished the game with 12 points and eight assists, told Serbian television.

“I didn’t have a good game by my standards but I kind of made up for it with the final shot; it was a team effort and we wouldn’t be here now if everyone hadn’t performed,” he said.


The Serbians, emphatically beaten by Spain in last year’s European championship final, raced into a 23-13 lead in the first quarter and appeared set to avoid the late drama after leading 86-78 with four minutes left.

But the resilient Spaniards, led by Barcelona guard Juan Carlos Navarro who was the game’s top scorer with 27 points, drew level with tight defence and several fast breaks.

With time running out and Serbia’s last possession falling apart, Teodosic struck from nine metres and Spain, looking for a three-pointer to force overtime, lost the ball in the final three seconds.

“It was a mentally and physically exhausting battle, I feel great and I have to thank my team mates for playing their hearts out to make this happen,” Serbia captain Nenad Krstic said.

Serbia will meet on Saturday hosts Turkey in semifinal game.

Tournament favourites the U.S. play Russia and Lithuania take on Argentina in the other two quarter-finals on Thursday.

 


Continue...


Support the site, try our toolbar