In three of the last four FIBA Basketball World Cup tournaments, Serbia reached the final four. Their latest victory at the Mall of Asia Arena saw them defeat Lithuania 87-68, with Bogdan Bogdanovic’s remarkable shooting skills playing a key role.
Serbia’s recent World Cup history includes a semi-final appearance in 2010, a runner-up finish in 2014, and a fifth-place result in China in 2019. Lithuania will now compete in Classification Games 5-8.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had a standout performance, scoring 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
This marked his ninth game with 20 or more points since the 2019 World Cup, a feat unmatched by any other player during that time.
Additionally, Bogdanovic crossed the 400-point mark in his World Cup career, becoming the sixth player in this century to achieve this milestone.
“This is a team win, definitely, against a team that’s also playing team-first basketball, and we respect that,” said Svetislav Pesic, Serbia’s head coach. “That was what got us even more motivated, to face such an opponent. We took away their style of play thanks to our energy and our defense, and we have to say it.
“That’s the way that we should play, and we’re trying to play that way all the time. We dished out 25 assists, we’re the best fast break team in the World Cup, and that’s what we want, that’s what’s important to us. But to do that, we need to play defense.”
Watch the game highlights between Lithuania and Serbia in the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
