November 28, 2020 - In the third qualifying match for EuroBasket 2022, Croatia basketball topped Turkey in the Istanbul bubble on Friday evening.
The Croatia national team defeated Turkey 79:62 in the third qualifying match for the European Championships in 2022!
In the previous cycle of qualifications, Croatia beat the national teams of Sweden and the Netherlands, and Friday's game continues their perfect qualifications - three wins, no defeats.
On Sunday, November 29, at 18:00, Croatia will play against Sweden (broadcast on HRT2 and SportKlub), and in February 2021, the qualifiers will end with two more return matches against Turkey and the Netherlands. These matches will also be played in a bubble, and the host of Croatia's group has not yet been determined.
The most effective player of the match was the fantastic Miro Bilan with 30 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Željko Šakić with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Roko Rogić also hit double figures with 12 points.
It should certainly be noted that Roko Prkačin made his debut for the Croatia national team with 6 points. Filip Krušlin also made an important contribution with 9 points and 4 assists, while captain Roko Leni Ukić, who recorded 5 assists and 2 rebounds, was an important and experienced support.
Croatia started the game strong, and their power over Turkey extended to the entire first half.
Croatia ended the first quarter with a 16-0 series advantage, which grew to +17 (24-7) thanks to Roko Rogić's three-pointer.
Nothing changed in the second quarter either, which was opened by a three-pointer by Filip Krušlin for +20 (27-7).
In the 27th minute, Croatia came to an unexpected 25-point advantage (40-15), when Miro Bilan nailed two free throws.
In the last minute of the first half, Turkey hit a three-pointer (43-24), but Bilan made it +21 (45-24) at half time.
Turkey recovered from the shock experienced in the first 20 minutes and opened the second half with a 9-0 series, leaving Croatia without a steal for a full three and a half minutes.
However, Veljko Mršić's team did not allow Turkey to get closer than 11 points (47-36) in the third quarter.
In the second half, there was a lack of a little more flow and precision in Croatia's attack, and Turkey continued to gain the advantage.
With a triple by American Shane Larkin, Turkey was eight points behind (70-62) just under two minutes before the end.
However, a possible turnaround was prevented by Bilan (4), Sakić (3), and Rogić (2), who finished the game with a 9-0 Croatia series for the final +17 (79-62).
In the second game, the Netherlands beat Sweden 78-76.
Saturday is a day off for the basketball players in the "Istanbul Bubble", and the remaining two games are scheduled for Sunday.
Turkey - the Netherlands will play from 3 pm, and at 6 pm Croatia will look for a victory against Sweden to confirm their placement in the EuroBasket.
Source: HRT
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
