MANILA, Philippines – Two-time defending champion Serbia elevated their game in the quarterfinals, easily dismissing Mongolia to reach the Final 4 of the 2018 FIBA 3x3 Basketball World Cup.
Joining Serbia in the semis are Poland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.
The Dutch outlasted Canada in a thriller to stay on track for a finals rematch against Serbia.
Serbia 21, Mongolia 8
The top-seeded Serbians made quick work of the upstart Mongolians in the quarterfinals, with Marko Savic and Dejan Majstorovic each scoring seven points in the game that took them just seven minutes and 43 seconds to complete.
It was a disappointing finish for the 11th-seeded Mongolians, who played some great basketball in the group round before getting crushed by the defending champions.
Poland 21, Latvia 15
🇵🇱 Poland just shocked European champs 🇱🇻 to advance to the #3x3WC semi-finals. Next step: 🇷🇸 #WatchUsPlay pic.twitter.com/S4hLrSz0GZ
— FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) June 12, 2018
Poland set up a semifinals showdown with Serbia after outlasting Latvia. Michael Hicks scored seven points, as the seventh-seeded Polish team took down the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Pawel Pawlowski and Szymon Rduch each had five points for the winning squad.
Slovenia 21, Ukraine 15
Slovenia dodged the upset axe of Ukraine in the quarterfinals, pulling away from a tight count to win the game. The second-seeded Slovenians were up by just two points, 17-15, when Ukraine's Aleksandr Kolchenko was called for an offensive foul that took the wind out of his team's sails.
Slovenia took over from there, with Gasper Ovnik scoring eight points in the win and Anze Srebovt adding six. Kolchenko had seven points in the loss.
Netherlands 18, Canada 16
No. 8 seed Netherlands outlasted the gritty Canadians, thanks to the heroics of the "Flying Dutchman," Dimeo Van der Horst. He scored 12 points, including the Netherlands' last five markers. Canada seized a 16-14 lead before Van der Horst took over, slashing to the lane for three straight lay-ups – the last of which gave them a 17-16 lead.
After Michael Linklater badly bricked a jumper and Jermaine Bucknor flubbed a close-range lay-up, Van der Horst sealed the deal with a split at the free throw line.
Netherlands plays Slovenia in the semifinals.
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