Germany fight back in the fourth, eliminate Croatia / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Bojan Bogdanovic tried to put his team on his back. However, Croatia fell to Germany 86-76 (19-23; 24-22; 13-18; 30-13) after a catastrophic fourth quarter.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Maodo Lo Points 29 Accuracy 8-19 Rebounds 4 Assists 8

Neither team was able to jump out to an early lead in the first period. The game was tied at 17 with a little over a minute left, but the home team finished the quarter strong to build a 23-19 lead after one.

But Germany came storming back and started the second quarter on an 18-5 run. This did not phase Croatia, though, as the Balkan squad rallied to end the period, regaining a two-point lead (45-43).

After halftime, both teams struggled to score. The first points of the third quarter belonged to Bojan Bogdanovic, who made a floater with 7:13 remaining. Croatians continued to increase their advantage and had an eight-point lead with 2:02 left on the clock. Maodo Lo missed a last-second 3-pointer attempt, and Germany had a seven-point deficit at the end of the third.

Bogdanovic gave Croatia a 10-point lead at the start of the fourth. When it looked like the game was slipping away from Germany, they answered with a 16-6 run to tie the game at 74 with 4:20 remaining.

The Germans continued their successful streak, gaining a four-point lead after Joshiko Saibou's free throws with 1:31 on the clock (80-76). Croatia could not put the ball in the basket and did not score for the remainder of the game.

Maodo Lo led Germany with 29 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Joshiko Saibou added 13 points and five rebounds.

For Croatia, Bojan Bogdanovic led all scorers with 38 points. Mario Hezonja contributed 14 points and six assists. However, this duo did not receive enough support from the rest of their squad - no other player cracked double-digits in scoring.

Germany will face Brazil in tomorrow's final matchup for a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

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