Serbia came into the FIBA World Cup as one of the favorites in the tournament, so much so, that many even considered them the best team in the competition over Team USA. Even with the team clicking on all cylinders with Nikola Jokic, Boban Marjanovic, and tournament leading scorer Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Serbs were eliminated 97-87 by a motivated Argentina team.
Serbia arrived into the tournament realistically looking for a gold medal and first place finish. Serbia had come into the competition after advancing to the championship games in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics and ultimately losing to Team USA.
Argentina was led by feisty guard Facundo Campazzo’s fantastic all-around performance; tallying up 18 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. With that, the Argentinians won a tight match in the quarterfinal match up to advance. Former NBA star, the 39-year old Luis Scola scored 20 points hit several big shots throughout the game to lead Argentina in scoring while Patricio Garino added 15 for the winners.
On the Serbian side, Bogdanovic of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings led all scorers with 21 points, while Jokic added 16 in the losing cause. With the win, Argentina is still undefeated in the FIBA World Cup and will face the winner of the USA-France match, which tips off on Wednesday. The semi-finals will be played this Friday.