Serbia’s dominance in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 was reinforced as they cruised to a 94-77 victory over Puerto Rico. This win secured their second Group B victory, with all 11 Serbian players scoring.
It also continued their perfect streak of 5 wins against Puerto Rico since 2016, which notably included a commanding 90-47 triumph in the 2019 World Cup’s Second Round.
Led by 20-year-old Nikola Jovic, Serbia swiftly surged ahead of Puerto Rico with 17 points, 11 of them in the initial quarter. He also contributed 4 assists and 3 rebounds to the game.
“We came out really strong,” Serbia forward Vanja Marinkovic said. “We were up by 30 at halftime. And then we had a little fall in the third quarter because they are a good team and they made shots that they missed in the first half.
“It got down to 10 points. I think that is a good thing that happened to us because we had it easy against China and then the first half. This will keep us on the ground and stay humble so we can keep playing better and better.”
Watch the game highlights between Puerto Rico and Serbia in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/status/1696159389801955422?s=20