Basketball News: септембар 2013

France vs Lithuania 80-66

France overcame Lithuania in the title game in Ljubljana tonight.

Nicolas Batum stepped up with 17 points and 6 rebounds to pace Les Bleus. Darjus Lavrinovic got things going with a layup. But France quickly surged ahead. Nicolas Batum made it 11:7 for Les Bleus midway through the opening quarter. Boris Diaw and Tony Parker made it 17:12 for France. But Linas Kleiza scored six straight points to put the Baltic team in front. Mantas Kalnietis capped the first period with a layup as Lithuania secured a 22:19 lead. The teams traded baskets throughout the bigger part of the second frame. But Nicolas Batum sank back-to-back three-pointers to trigger an 18:3 run that put France up by 13 points 47:34. Antoine Diot capped the half with a three-pointer to give France a 50:34 advantage. France took over completely in the third term. Les Bleus stretched the gap to 20 points midway through the period. Boris Diaw made it 64:42 with under four minutes to go in the quarter. France finished the third term up by 18 points 68:50. Tony Parker nailed 8 points in the fourth frame to carry France to a historic victory. Boris Diaw finished with 15 points, 6 boards and 4 assists, while Tony Parker added 12 points in the victory. Linas Kleiza answered with 20 points for Lithuania. Mantas Kalnietis had 19 points in the loss.

Serbia vs France 77-65

Unexpected win for Serbia.

Serbia wins Group E of the 2013 EuroBasket. They overcame France 77:65 and finished on top with 4-1 record. The latter fell at 3-2 record and finished third in the group.
Alexis Ajinca and Nenad Krstic exchanged the early baskets, while Nedovic nailed three for 9:5 lead.

Serbia however finished the first half with a 5-0 run for 38:31 halftime deficit.
nailed three for 46:35 and Djordje Gagic scored for 50:38. France erupted with an 7-0 run as Tony Parker (188-PG-82) reduced to 50:45. Nenad Krstic and Bjelica meanwhile closed the period at 60:51. Bogdanovic later scored 5 points in a row for Serbia that went on a 66:54 lead. They continue their dominance in the rest of the game and reached 77:65 win.
Nenad Krstic stepped up with 19 points and Nemanja Nedovic shot 17. Bogdan Bogdanovic delivered 14, while Vladimir Stimac and Djordje Gagic added 8 each. Nicolas Batum, Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw and Alexis Ajinca replied with 12 points each in a loss. Tony Parker ended up with 10 points.