Serbia outpace Puerto Rico to set up Final clash against Italy

BELGRADE (Serbia) - After two lukewarm games to start the tournament,  Serbia found a way to turn up the heat in an intensely contested game against Puerto Rico to win, 102-84. The victory puts the defending Olympic silver medalists into the Sunday Final where they will face Italy.  It's a win-and-you're-in game with a place in the Olympic 12-team tournament on the line. 

Nemanja Bjelica's three-pointer to beat the  first-quarter buzzer saw Serbia take a 28-26 lead, one they would never relinquish, much to the delight of the 2,388 fans in Belgrade's famous Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

Turning point: Puerto Rico's side started the game with intensity and aggression that led to a  pretty solid first quarter. Then came Bjelica' early dagger dime and the Serbians team took control thereafter, finding a strong offensive rhythm. The ball was moving well; the numbers of assisted points started to rise to the tune of 30 assists and 12 triples.

Game heroes: Vasilije Micic continued to play his MVP basketball after one game of rest. He scored 23 points and dished 8 assists. NBA experienced forward Nemanja Bjelica also stepped up, contributing with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Milos Teodosic led the team in assists with 10. 

 Stats don't lie: Whole Serbian team was "on it" today, with 38 points coming from the bench. Also,  the 'Eagles' defense-to-offense transition was firing at a high level, giving them a 22-4 point advantage in fast-break points. 

They said: "It was a difficult game to play. It’s not a phrase, but today everyone plays basketball, and we had problems at the start. But whenever we played good defense, we got easy buckets, and that was the key. People always expect victory from us. There were cramps, we have problems because we are missing some injured players, but we are going to secure the Olympic Games for our country. We are mentally preparing ourselves for tomorrow's match against Italy. " Nemanja Bjelica, Serbia.

FIBA