OPQT's: Semi-Finals confirmed; Sweden edge out Belgium and Croatia top Group D

ISTANBUL (Turkiye) - Sweden are celebrating a Semi-Finals ticket after slipping past Belgium in a thriller, while Dario Saric produced an all-round masterclass to lead unbeaten Croatia past Netherlands. 

Here's a wrap of day of the last day of Group action at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul.\

Sweden hang on to reach the last four

Having split their opening two games, Sweden were in pole position to emerge from Group D but still needed a victory against winless Belgium to guarantee their spot. 

They were shaken early by 20-year-old Thijs De Ridder, who scored 11 points in the first-quarter as Belgium had the better of the early exchanges.

But Sweden clawed their way back through dynamic Elijah Clarance to get the game back on level pegging. With much at stake as both teams tried to keep their Olympic dreams alive, a roller-coaster battle ensued and it came down to the wire.

A three-pointer from Loic Schwartz gave Belgium a 78-76 lead before Elijah Clarance regained Sweden's advantage after sinking three free-throws following a needless foul from Milan Samardzic.

In a dramatic finish, Sweden threw the ball away but they hung on after Hans Vanwijn's three-pointer was waved off having not released the ball in time. 

Clarance scored 21 points in Sweden's 79-78 win, while De Ridder finished with 17 points. Sweden will play host Turkiye in a Semi-Final on Friday. 

Croatia overcome gritty Netherlands to top Group D

After big victories in their opening two games, Croatia's hot form continued when they stormed to a 9-0 lead. With Saric and Ivica Zubac leading the charge, Croatia built a double digit lead which they maintained until a gritty Netherlands clawed back in the third quarter. 

Through dominating the glass, the Netherlands frustrated Croatia to get within six points entering the fourth. But Croatia steadied through Saric to record an 89-81 win and book a semi-final against Ukraine on Friday.

Saric had 13 points and 12 assists, while Yannick Franke led the Netherlands with 22 points. The most intriguing battle was between Zubac and emerging center Jesse Edwards.

Zubac used his strength to devastating effect and finished with 21 points, but Edwards overcame early foul trouble to impress with 20 points and 8 rebounds. 

Top Performers

The offense of Dario Saric hadn't been required greatly in Croatia's comfortable first two wins, but he was assertive against Netherlands with 9 points in the first-quarter.  The new Golden State Warriors signing then reverted to playmaking mode and put on a show with a slew of gorgeous passes. He finished with 13 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals along with an efficiency of 27. 

Matching Saric's efficiency was 23-year-old Jesse Edwards, who picked up two early fouls before holding his own against the powerful Zubac. He took advantage of Croatia taking no chances with Zubac in the fourth, as Edwards finished with 20 points on 9 field goal attempts to go with 8 rebounds and 2 steals. 

Zubac bullied Edwards early to help Croatia build a cushion they were largely able to keep. He capped a strong group phase with 21 points and 5 rebounds in just 22 minutes. 

Dynamic youngster Thijs De Ridder ignited Belgium early as he relentlessly attacked the basket. He seemed to run out of gas as the game wore on, but finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

While Sweden were mostly ice cold from deep, Denzel Andersson stepped up with 3 of 5 shooting on threes and finished with 17 points and a team-high efficiency of 19.

Picture of the Day

Netherlands power forward David N'Guessan shot a costly 1 of 6 from the free-throw line, but had no trouble scoring when he delivered this spectacular two-handed slam. 

Highlight of the Day

 ➡️ @DarioSaric 🤝 @ivicazubac! 🇭🇷

Dario Saric had several pretty dishes, but the best came in the opening minutes when he rocketed a left-hand, no look pass to Ivica Zubac for the dunk. 

FIBA