2019-09-07T12:11:40+00:00

2019-09-07T12:11:40+00:00

2019-09-07T18:08:16+00:00.

The Czech Republic beat Brazil and can make it to the quarterfinals even with a defeat on Monday by Greece

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

SHENZHEN – Behind an inspired performance by Tomas Satoransky, the Czech Republic got the 93-71 win over Brazil which can prove enough for a spot in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.

Satoransky came near a triple-double, finishing the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists, while Ondrej Balvin dominated the paint with 15 points and 11 rebounds. They were the leaders of a balanced effort as the Czechs built a 45-32 halftime lead and never looked back.

The bad news for coach Ronen Ginzburg is the injury of naturalized guard Blake Schilb. Schilb rolled his left ankle, and his status for Monday’s game against Greece is uncertain.

Brazil collapsed in the second half. Leandro Barbosa and Marchelinio Huertas scored 11 points each, but they were far from enough. Vitor Benite added ten, and no other Brazilian players scored in double digits.

“We didn’t have the energy we had in the first round and we couldn’t match the intensity of our opponents”, said Brazil’s coach Aco Petrovic after the game. “Maybe for the first time we were also considered the favorites and we were not comfortable with that”,

After this result, the Czech Republic has a 3-1 record and tiebreaker over Brazil (3-1) in Group K. Even in the possibility of a three-way tie with Greece and Brazil at a 3-2 record, the Czechs will qualify even with a defeat by 11 points or less.

Brazil’s forward Marquinhos Sousa was also injured in the closing minutes of the game.

Photo credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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