FIBA World Cup day six: Czech Republic shock Turkey to qualify for second round
Australia, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil and Greece were also victorious on day six, while the USA trounced Japan
Friday 6 September 2019 11:07, UK
The Czech Republic made history by advancing to the second round after an 91-76 upset victory over Turkey on Thursday.
Turkey 76-91 Czech Republic
The Czech Republic made history by advancing to the second round after a 91-76 upset victory over Turkey on Thursday.
In their first ever FIBA Basketball World Cup, they join the USA to make it out of Group E. The Czech Republic were led by Vojtech Hruban, who had 18 points, and Ondrej Balvin, who added 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.
Balvin and fellow big man Patrik Auda monstered Turkey's frontline and dominated the boards with a combined 20 rebounds. Czech Republic had a clear 41-26 overall edge on the glass which proved pivotal in the end.
After a deflating one-point overtime loss against USA just two days ago, Turkey started sluggishly and could not recover against their efficient opponents. NBA players Cedi Osman (24 points) and Furkan Korkmaz (16 points) were the key protagonists for the Turkish side who had the momentum early in the fourth when a three from Melih Mahmutoglu cut the deficit to just three.
But Hruban responded from deep to fuel an 8-0 run and stretch the Czech Republic's lead back out to double digits on the way to seeing out a shock victory.
Dominican Republic 56-90 France
It was France who retained a perfect record with a robust drubbing of the Dominican Republic on Thursday in a match featuring two undefeated teams.
Both teams were 2-0 in Group G play, but France used a balanced attack of solid games from its NBA contingent to put away the Dominican Republic, 90-56.
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and a block to pace a solid all-around effort for France. Orlando Magic wing Evan Fournier finished with 10 points and five assists. Nando De Colo added 15 points off the bench while New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina finished with eight points and four assists in a starting role.
Victor Liz was the top performer for the Dominican Republic with 12 points.
Lithuania 82-87 Australia
In another match featuring two undefeated sides, Australia confirmed the top honours in Group H with a solid all-around performance against Lithuania thanks to a Patty Mills dagger late in the game.
It finished 87-82, with both teams moving on to Group L for the second round.
Australia enjoyed a double digit lead for most of the game, but an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter saw Lithuania edge in front.
A major scoring drought meant the Boomers notched their first field goal of the fourth quarter with just 3:30 left on the game clock, but that allowed them to stop the rot and stay attached.
Then, in the closing minutes, it was all about the one-two punch of NBA stars Patty Mills and Aron Baynes.
San Antonio Spurs point guard Mills hit the biggest shot of the game, while Baynes played his best game for the national team in the World Cup finishing with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds.
He turned into a shooter, too. Baynes was only 1-of-3 from the three-point range in his previous 25 games at the World Cup and the Olympics, but scored 3-of-5 against Lithuania.
Grinding out the win means Australia finish the opening group phase with three straight victories, while Lithuania fell to their first defeat.
Greece 103-97 New Zealand
Giannis Antetokounmpo top-scored for Greece as they beat New Zealand to clinch a berth in the second round.
The Greek Freak posted a double-double 24 points and 10 rebounds in a dominant display which included two huge dunks in the game's opening three minutes.
The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player also added six assists and two steals as four team-mates, including brother Thanasis, also scored in double figures for Greece.
New Zealand performed well once again, as they did in defeat against Brazil and in beating Montenegro, with guard Corey Webster continuing his excellent World Cup form with 31 points, four assists and three rebounds.
The result will give the Greeks confidence heading into the latter stages of the tournament after their one-point defeat to Brazil in the previous game.
Germany 96-62 Jordan
Germany avoided a winless Group Phase campaign after whipping Jordan, 96-62, to finish with a 1-2 record in Group G of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
Dallas Mavericks' big Max Kleber scored a game-high 18 points to lead Germany while Danilo Barthel and Paul Zipser chipped in 13 and 12 points respectively. Dennis Schroder of the Oklahoma City Thunder had a masterful performance, orchestrating the German offense with 11 assists and also added 10 points.
It was an easy win for the European side in the end with two players, Ahmad Al-Dwairi and Dar Tucker, combining for 31 points to account for half of Jordan's full game output.
Both teams are already relegated to the classification phase, the win by Germany will give them the upper hand to try and get the highest possible place, the 17-20th spot, which also gives them a better chance to bag an Olympic Qualifier berth for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Canada 82-60 Senegal
Canada collected an 82-60 win to proceed to the classification round with a 1-2 record, while Senegal will move on winless after the first three games.
The Canadians still have a shot of reaching the Olympic Qualifying Tournament via the World Cup, while Senegal could even book a trip to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if they finish as the best African team in the classification round.
Canada started poorly but snapped out of their funk and went on to win the game easily in the end.
Sacramento Kings point guard Cory Joseph fuelled the run with 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting and three assists, and Barcelona guard Kevin Pangos did his part with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists for coach Nick Nurse.
Mo Faye scored 14 for Senegal as they fell to a third consecutive defeat.
Brazil 84-73 Montenegro
Brazil staved off a resilient Montenegro, 84-73, to complete a sweep of Group F in Nanjing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
Both teams battled back and forth early in the game as Brazil coach Aleksandar Petrovic chose to rest his usual starters, but the Brazilians' unconvincing play eventually forced him to bring in Leandro Barbosa sooner than he wanted to right the ship.
Veteran Marcelinho Huertas was the star for Brazil in this game, with the 36-year-old shooting 7-of-10 from the field en route to a team-high 16 points along with six assists and two rebounds.
Brazil led at the half, 43-38, and appeared to blow the game open in the third quarter thanks to tight defense and great transition offense.
They turned a five-point half-time lead into a lead as high as 15 before settling for a 12-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter and holding on for their third win in as many games.
