EuroBasket 2017: Group A and Group B underway
The International Basketball season has reached EuroBasket 2017, which tipped off on Thursday with six games across Group A and Group B. There were plenty of talking points on day 1 before Group C and Group D get underway on Friday (day 2).
Group A
Slovenia started its EuroBasket 2017 campaign with a solid 90-81 victory over Poland. Consistent scoring through three quarter propelled the victory as Slovenia drained 53 first half points for a 7-point lead. A 21-12 run in the third act killed the game as Poland struggled to keep up. Goran Dragic was immense for the winners, scoring a massive 30 points.
In this other Group A game, Greece decimated Iceland 61-90 to open its account in the tournament. Greece dominated the first quarter 10-26, but allowed Iceland back into the game with a 23-11 losing second frame. From a 33-37 first half, Greece pulled away with a 12-24 third that all but settled the game, before easing to the win in Q4. Nikos Pappas paced the win with 20 points.
Co-hosts Finland used an overtime period to see off France in a 84-86 mini-classic on day 1 of EuroBasket 2017. An up and down encounter through regulation saw both teams taste long periods of domination. The contest closed with the scoreboard reading 72 apiece through regulation. Lauri Markkanen topped Finland with 22 points, but France’s Thomas Huertal was the top scorer with 25 points.
Group B
Germany had a comfortable opening with a cruising 75-63 win over Ukraine. It took a while for the Germans to get started, however, with Ukraine opening a 9-16 lead through ten minutes. Germany got cooking in the second frame, using a 30-17 run to hold a 39-33 lead through the long break. The second half was controlled by a professional German performance. Dennis Schroeder was an offensive menace as he drained 30 points and laid 7 assists.
Italy overcame Israel in the lowest scoring encounter of day 1, coming away with a 69-48 win to kick off its Group B. As the score suggests, the game was rarely in doubt as the Azzurri led 21-15, but let Israel into it to make it 36-32 at halftime. In the second half, the Israeli team crumbled and scored just 16 points through the final 20 minutes. It was the platform Italy needed to romp to victory.
In the final game, Georgia saw off Lithuania 77-79 in arguably the shock of the opening day. After an 18-18 first quarter, the game started to go to expectations, with Lithuania leading 39-34 at the midway point. In the second half, Georgia picked up the scoring and used an 18-25 third act to base for the win. Tornike Shengelia scored 29 points in an excellent win.