Real Madrid forward flirted with a triple-double at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament opener.
Hezonja caps his big day with a shocker over Doncic, Slovenia
All-EuroLeague forward Mario Hezonja started his day on Tuesday by signing a five-year deal with Real Madrid, and he finished it with another bang, helping Croatia to a resounding 108-92 win over Luka Doncic and Slovenia on the opening night of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus Greece.
Hezonja was all over the court as he posted 12 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. In this Group A clash, Croatia opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and never lost control of the game. Hezonja's tough baseline basket followed by a steal and dunk helped Croatia open a 53-73 lead early in the third quarter and Slovenia never threatened again. Croatia went on to lead by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter before slowing down in the final minutes.
Hezonja was not the only player in the game with a major all-around contribution. His teammate Dario Saric, formerly of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, had a triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Croatia, which dished 34 assists, had six players in double figures, including FC Bayern Munich center Danko Brankovic who scored 15 points on 7-of-7 two-point shooting in fewer than 13 minutes on the floor.
Meanwhile Doncic, a former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP, had a triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, which also saw Josh Nebo, last season's EuroLeague rebounding leader who recently signed for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, collect 12 points and 9 rebounds. Both Croatia and Slovenia still face New Zealand, with the top two teams from the group advancing to the semifinals.
In the first game of the day game in Piraeus, the Dominican Republic beat Egypt 77-90 in Group B, with Andres Feliz of Joventut Badalona posting 9 points, 5 assist and 5 rebounds, with a team high +34 in a +/- column. The next test for both of these teams is against the host team – Greece.
Grigonis paces Lithuania, Italy wins by 61
Italy and Lithuania opened their Olympic Qualifying Tournament in style in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Italy crushed Bahrein 114-53 behind seven scorers in double digits, including Nicolo Melli of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul who collected 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and Achille Polonara of Virtus Segafredo Bologna who had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Lithuania defeated Mexico 96-84, using a massive third quarter to open an 83-61 lead before closing out the game. Marius Grigonis, who finished his season crowned a EuroLeague champion with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, led Lithuania with 21 points. He scored all his points in the first three quarters and shot 4-for-7 from long range. Tadas Sedekerskis of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz added 12 points, while Lukas Lekavicius of Zalgiris Kaunas netted 10 points on 5-of-5 two-point shooting plus 5 assists.
Smits, Mejeris got Latvia rolling, Caboclo stars for Brazil
On the opening day of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Riga, Latvia, the host nation handled Georgia 83-55 in Group A. Mareks Mejeris of BKT EuroCup side U-BT Cluj-Napoca tallied 7 points and a +22 in the first half and Rolands Smits of Anadolu Efes Istanbul scored 8 points as the hosts ran away to a 45-24 halftime lead. The hosts never looked back as Mejeris finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while Smits added 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the victory. Tornike Shengelia of Virtus Segafredo Bologna did not play in this game for Georgia, which saw Alexander Mamukelashvili score 14 points. Both Latvia and Georgia play the Philippines the next two days.
In the first game of the day in Riga, Bruno Caboclo of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade scored 25 points on 11-for-15 on two-point shooting and grabbed 9 rebounds in Brazil's 81-72 win over Montenegro. Brazil trailed 13 points in the first half and was still down 54-59 early in the fourth after a three pointer by Montenegro's Marko Simonovic of Bahcesehir College Istanbul. But Caboclo's basket put Brazil in front, 61-59 midway through the fourth, and the team eventually prevailed as Yago Dos Santos of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade contributed with 4 points and 5 assists. Simonovic finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds for Montenegro. Both Montenegro and Brazil play Cameroon in the next two days in Group B.
Spain smashes Lebanon, Jantunen's 5 threes not enough for Finland
In the opening game of the tournament in Valencia, the Bahamas bested Finland 85-96. Mikael Jantunen of Paris Basketball scored 12 points in the first half, including connecting on 3 three-pointers from 5 attempts as Finland turned a 9-point first-quarter deficit into a 54-47 halftime lead. However, the Bahamas stormed back behind Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield in the big third quarter, which it finished with a 67-73 advantage. Jantunen hit his fifth triple to help Finland stay close midway through the fourth, but Bahamas closed out the game with Hield scoring 24 points. Jantunen finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in defeat.
In the second game in Valencia, Spain crushed Lebanon 104-59, using a big second quarter to open a 51-31 lead and never stopped increasing the lead after the break. Jaime Pradilla of Valencia Basket had 14 points, Dario Brizuela of FC Barcelona scored 12, while Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid had 9 points in 12 minute in an easy win.