By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Montenegro completed its first FIBA World Cup run and grabbed its first and only victory by beating Japan 80-65 in the classification round for spots 17-32. Japan will head out of the tournament with empty hands (0-5).
“We are really happy to finish like this. We were really close with Turkey, but… we are really happy to represent our country and get this first historical win”, commented Zvezdan Mitrovic.
Big man Nikola Vucevic paced his team with 18 points and seven rebounds in nearly 25 minutes on the court, while Nikola Ivanovic helped them expand their lead in the final period with 12 points.
The World Cup debutants started the game with a 26-16 advantage over their opponents, though the margin was trimmed at halftime with Montenegro leading 40-33.
5 minutes into the third period, the Japanese tied the score at 45 points with a dunk by Yuta Watanabe (34 points, 9 rebounds), though the Montenegrin team quickly reacted to regain control with 61-51 before heading to the last period.
Montenegro got ahead by 19 points in their biggest stretch in the game and eventually grabbed the win in the city of Dongguan.
Photo credit: FIBA.basketball