Montenegro grab remaining World Cup ticket in Group K / News - Basketnews.com

One more team is left to make the 2023 FIBA World Cup from the European Qualifiers, after Montenegro beat the Czech Republic in Podgorica to qualify for the main tournament for a second straight time.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

In the lower echelons of Group K, Montenegro (7-5) became the last team to grab the remaining ticket to the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Hosting the already-eliminated Czech Republic (3-9) in Podgorica, the Balkan side, qualified for their second-straight World Cup with a 88-70 (32-14, 18-11, 20-21, 18-24) win.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Adam Somogyi Points 17 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 3 Assists 11

Bosko Radovic's players made their intentions clear right from the start, when they scored 32 in the first quarter and 50 by half-time to lead by as many as 25 (50-25).

Without Tomas Satoransky or Jan Vesely, the Czechs were unable to compete and with the exception of Tomas Kyzlink, who finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, they were reduced to a passive role. Ondrej Hanzlik scored 17 and Patrik Auda added 10 for the guests.

On the other hand, Montenegro had four players in double digits and a total of nine to score at least one point. Their assist-turnover ratio was excellent (22:7), as the game had essentially been decided in the first 20 minutes. Nikola Ivanovic netted 17 points and amassed 7 rebounds, while Kendrick Perry had 14 points and 7 dimes, and Nemanja Radovic 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Since Montenegro took care of business, neither Bosnia and Herzegovina (6-6) nor Hungary (6-6) stood any chance. Both were counting on Montenegro losing their fixture and on winning theirs but came up short. Ultimately, Hungary prevailed by 87-77.

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