Serbia beat Canada to reach Basketball WC final

F.P. Report

Manila: Serbia beat Canada 95-86 on Friday to reach the final of the Basketball World Cup for the second time.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had another standout performance for the Serbians in Manila, scoring 23 points and racking up three assists and four rebounds.

Serbia will play either the United States or Germany in Sunday’s final in the capital of The Philippines. They lost to the Americans in their only previous final appearance as an independent country in 2014.

Canada were appearing in their first World Cup semi-final. They struggled to replicate the kind of performances that had taken them there, getting only 15 points from key player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Serbia led by eight points at the end of the first quarter and 13 at half-time.
Canada showed more spark after the interval and clamped down on Bogdanovic, who scored only eight points in the second half. It was not enough to overhaul Serbia, who got 16 points apiece from Ognjen Dobric and Nikola Milutinov.

RJ Barrett was Canada’s top scorer with 23 points, followed by Dillon Brooks on 16. Serbia were playing without power forward Borisa Simanic, who underwent surgery to remove a kidney after being hit by an opposition player’s elbow earlier in the tournament.

Serbia’s only loss in the tournament so far was a 78-76 defeat to Italy in the second round. (APP)