After a match… rodeo, o Canada prevailed 100-89 her Slovenia and qualified for the first time in its history to the semi-finals of the World Cup, where it will face Serbia (8/9, 11:45).
Big derby in the first half, with both teams tied. In the third quarter Jordi Fernandez’s side took control and in the fourth things got easier for them as Luka Doncic was sent off with a second technical penalty. Until that point, their guard Mavericks had 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Leading for Canada was once again o Cy Gilgeous-Alexander with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, while the ARJ Barrett with 24 p. and 9 rebounds. THE Dillon Brookswho was also ejected in the fourth quarter, added 14 points.
On the other hand, the Slovenians will face on Thursday (7/9, 15:30) the Lithuaniafor the positions 5-8.
The match
The match had an excellent and fast pace early on, with the two teams going hand in hand and Canada closing the first period with a one basket difference (26-24). The derby continued in the second quarter, with the lead constantly changing and both teams going into the locker room tied at 50-50.
The Canadians made a very strong start in the second half and with individual scores of 11-2, they initially went to +9 (61-52). Then, Barrett and Gilgeous-Alexander caught fire, with Fernandes’ team going +16 (77-61), at 27′. In the remaining time, the Slovenians answered with Doncic and Prepelic, reducing the difference to single digits at the end of the third period (80-71).
Canada made an explosive start in the fourth quarter as well, running a 7-0 run to go back to +16 (87-71). Things then got even more difficult for Slovenia as Doncic was sent off with a second technical penalty for protesting. His team made a reaction, reducing to a single-digit value (94-85), in the 36th minute. However, from that point until the end, the Canadians were in complete control, cruising to a 100-89 final victory.
The quarters: 26-24, 50-50, 80-71, 100-89
See here the match statistics
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
