Latvia was the only other team to go 6-0 (PHOTO: FIBA)
Serbia, France end qualification campaigns with perfect records
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Serbia booked its ticket for EuroBasket 2025 during the last international break in November, and France did the same after the fifth group-stage game a few days ago. On Monday night it would have been easy for the two powerhouses to down tools, but that’s not how they roll.
Latvia’s win in Slovakia on Sunday night ensured it was the first nation to finish the group stage with a perfect 6-0 record, but Monday night saw Serbia and France follow suit by beating Georgia (63-54) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (76-74), respectively.
Curiously, Serbia rested Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade duo Filip Petrusev and Dejan Davidovac for the final game of EuroBasket 2025 qualification, but France went with the same 12-man group who beat Croatia just a couple of days before.
Serbia made hard work of its win against Georgia, finding itself 13-17 behind at the end of the first quarter and trailing 27-31 at halftime. However, a strong second half resulted in Serbia outscoring Georgia 36-23 to grab the victory and finish its group-stage campaign with a perfect record. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade trio Arijan Lakic, Mario Nakic and Balsa Koprivica had a combined 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists,
Likewise, France was down 18-21 against Bosnia and Herzegovina after 10 minutes, with AS Monaco’s Matthew Strazel netting 6 points. Even if Bosnia, which was already qualified, opted to give Real Madrid star Dzanan Musa the night off, it knew beating the runner-up from the Olympic Games would be some achievement. A shock looked to be on the cards as a France team featuring seven current Turkish Airlines EuroLeague players was losing 51-57 at the end of the third period and 65-70 with 4 minutes to play.
A triple by Strazel and a fast-break score by Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot tied it up at 70-70, then Yoan Makoundou, on loan at Turk Telekom Ankara from Monaco, and Monaco’s Elie Okobo scored to complete a 9-0 run and give France a 74-70 advantage. Bosnia knotted the game at 74-74, but a game-winning pull-up jumper by Okobo gave France the win.
When EuroBasket 2025 comes around at the end of August, both Serbia and France will be among the candidates to go all the way, particularly as they will be able to call upon even more talent. There’s still a way to go yet, but going 6-0 in the qualification phase shows that they remain two of the main contenders to become European champions.