Poland tops Luka Doncic, Slovenia in EuroBasket 2022 quarterfinals

The EuroBasket run has come to an end for Luka Doncic and the Slovenian national team.

After entering the locker room at halftime down 58-39, Slovenia’s offense came alive in the second half to mount a dramatic comeback, but it wasn’t enough to top Poland who eliminated the defending champions from the tournament, 90-87, on Wednesday in Berlin, Germany.

Mavericks star Doncic fouled out with 3:02 remaining in the fourth quarter as Slovenia’s hopes started to wane. Doncic finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

Poland initially dominated the game from the jump. A sharp-shooting first quarter compounded into the 19-point halftime lead, but the efficient start for Poland did not carry over into the third quarter, when Slovenia outscored Poland 24-6 to get back into the game.

Slovenia briefly held the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Polish attack managed to regain its footing behind forward Mateusz Ponitka (26 points) and guard AJ Slaughter (16 points).

Poland moves on to the semifinals to face France, who earlier in the day pulled off their own wild rally and overtime victory over Italy.

More to come on this story.

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