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WC European Qualifiers Live: Georgia survive Iceland, Montenegro qualify for 2nd straight time / News - Basketnews.com

nqajqrqw7months ago (05-17)Tennis Life211

Georgia saw Elvar Fridriksson miss an open last-second 3-pointer that would have sent Iceland to the FIBA World Cup, while Montenegro comfortably clinched the 3rd spot available in Group K.

Credit: FIBA Media

Credit FIBA Media

The third day of the last 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers window arrives on Sunday.

One spot remains up for grabs as Gameday 12 is underway.

The teams in contention have narrowed slightly with Ukraine eliminated to leave seven others in the mix to complete the contingent of 12 teams from Europe heading to the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Already qualified (10/12): Finland, Latvia, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, France, Lithuania, Spain, Italy, Georgia and Montenegro.

Despite suffering a big scare in the closing minutes, Georgia clinched a World Cup spot thanks to their three-point loss (77-80) to Iceland in Tbilisi. That was the bare minimum required in order for them to advance, as in the case Iceland won by 4 or more points, they would have been the team to go through.

Elvar Fridriksson almost single-handedly kept Iceland in contention, scoring 25 points on 7/17 from the field and 9/9 from the line. However, he was also the player to miss what would have been Iceland's most important shot - a completely open 3-pointer that would have allowed his side to lead by 6 (77-83).

Conversely, Ukraine (4-6) hosted the Netherlands (0-10) in Riga, Latvia, with nothing really important at stake, as both teams have been eliminated. Nevertheless, Ukraine got an easy 72-56 win behind 17 points by Issuf Sanon.

On the other hand, Group K winners France (10-2) and Lithuania (9-3) had already qualified for the World Cup before facing off. A good second quarter was enough for France to take another 70-63 win and finish their last window in style.

Both teams battled it out without any EuroLeague players on the court, but Victor Wembanyama was enough to compensate for the lack thereof. The top NBA prospect scored 15 points on 5/10 from the field and 5/7 free throws. He also grabbed 3 rebounds and made 3 blocks for a PIR of 15.

At the same time, Varese's Guglielmo Caruso shined, as Italy (8-2) took down EuroBasket champs Spain (8-2) in Caceres, where Virtus' Nico Mannion was the only EuroLeague player competing. Neither team was in dire need of points, as both nations had secured their spot in the final round.

Caruso scored 19 points on 9/11 FGs and grabbed 7 rebounds. Tyson Perez racked up 15 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts.

In the lower echelons of Group K, Montenegro (7-5) became the last team to grab the remaining ticket. Hosting the already-eliminated Czech Republic (3-8) in Podgorica, the Balkan side, qualified for their second-straight World Cup with a 88-70 win.

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.

WithCourtside 1891, FIBA's official streaming platform, you can watch the fascinating games live. Or, you can watch on-demand with full game replays and extended highlights.

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