Eurobasket 2017 Qualifiers: Day 4 Action
Teams kicked their intensity up another notch in Day 4 of the Eurobasket 2017 Qualifiers. A triple-overtime stunner and the first nation through to Eurobasket 2017 are just some of the highlights. Russia is set to advance, while Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Hungary are all in good shape; leading their respective groups with 8 points each. The Netherlands (Group B) are the only group leaders with a 3-1 record (7 points).
Russia has locked up first place in Group C and is the first country through. They overcame an 18-point, 13-rebound by Jusuf Nurkic and a 23-point explosion by Mirza Teletovic to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina 67-78. The Bosnian squad got off to a quick start and controlled the first quarter to pull ahead 22-12. After the first period Russia turned things around with superior shooting accuracy from all over the floor and they did not look back. By the third frame, the lead of Bosnia and Herzegovina vanished and it was all Russia, all the way. Andrey Vorontsevich was the top performer for Russia with 16 points and eight rebounds.
It took a triple-overtime game to get it done, but Denmark finally got on the board with a stunning upset over Germany 106-102. This is the first win for Denmark since 2013, and it was well worth the extra effort. The Danes made only one more three-pointer compared to their German opponents, but they needed far less attempts to get those extra points on the scoreboard. Denmark’s Alan Voskuil sank 3-of-10 shots from three-point range en route to his 22 points for the game. Danilo Barthel put up a valiant effort for Germany with his double-double performance of 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Here are the rest of the results from Day 4:
Cyprus vs. Belgium, 55-72
Bulgaria vs. Ukraine, 67-72
Switzerland vs. Iceland, 83-80
Belarus vs. Estonia, 79-63
Slovakia vs. Montenegro, 62-99
Albania vs. Georgia, 64-84
Portugal vs. Poland, 74-81
Luxembourg vs. FYR Macedonia, 74-82
Great Britain vs. Hungary, 80-88
Kosovo vs. Slovenia, 81-91
Austria vs. Netherlands, 61-75
Games resume on Wednesday, 14 September 2016.