Serbia vs Canada 95-86 FIBA World Cup Semi-Final Recap
- → Serbia powers through Canada behind monster performances from Bogdanovic and Milutinov.
- → Serbia converted 62% of their field goals and dominated the paint with 22 first-quarter points.
- → Gilgeous-Alexander kept out of first quarter by early foul trouble.
- → Avramovic's defense also kept the OKC star scoreless in first 10 minutes.
- → Serbia back to their first World Cup Final in 9 years.
Serbia sets tone from the start as they punch their ticket to FIBA World Cup Final
A spirited performance from The Eagles enables them to steam past Canada and book their ticket for Sunday’s grand finale of this incredible FIBA World Cup.
Once again, Serbia started with incredible energy and spirit, with Bogi Bogdanovic and a colossal Nikola Milutinov combining for 26 points in the first two quarters. In particular, Canada wasn’t able to put a stop to Serbia’s paint domination – Pesic’s team scored 22 points in the first half – and was second best on the break as well. Meanwhile, Aleksa Abramovic was able to keep Gilgeous-Alexander quiet, with the OKC star scoreless and out in the first quarter due to early foul trouble.
Canada wasn’t able to impose their fast-paced rhythm as Serbia converted their field goals with extreme precision: The Eagles run away with a 15-point lead (52-37) and SGA worried about his three fouls.
With Serbia’s offense being red-hot, Canada tried a zone defense to no avail. At the start of the third quarter, Canada rallied behind RJ Barrett’s offense, bringing the score as close as seven points. Serbia kept their cool though and pushed back to a 12 point lead (75-63) heading into the final quarter.
Through Guduric’s three, The Eagles ran away to +17 and never really let Canada get close to them, effectively booking their ticket to the finals after losing to Team USA in 2014. Depending on the outcome of their game vs Germany, Serbia might have their shot at revenge.
MVP: Bogdan Bogdanovic
Click to watch the video of Bogi's MVP performance vs Canada.
Bogdan Bogdanovic looked unstoppable with 15 points in the first half and 7 to close the match in the fourth quarter. Bogdanovic showed his offensive skills with an incredible 8-12 from the field, and 3-4 from deep. He led the Eagles in the most important moments of the game and punched their ticket for a shot at revenge against Team USA, their opponents in Madrid’s final. Bogi concludes with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block with a single turnover. He'll need more of that against Team USA to give his country their revenge.
