ZAGREB (Croatia) - He was away from the national team for six years, but Luka Bozic's return was an incredible one, showing the continent why he was considered the best player in the Adriatic League for the past two seasons.
The current Hiopos Lleida forward led Croatia to a 13-point win, the final margin effectively meaning Bosnia and Herzegovina have to chase a 14-point win in the reverse fixture on Sunday.
Turning point
Croatia knocked down an incredible 10-of-16 three-pointers in the first half, but that was enough for just a two point lead at the break, as Bosnia and Herzegovina dominated the boards, points in the paint and second chance points to stay attached.
The hosts probably thought they had this one in the bag with Luka Bozic powering an 11-0 run to end the third period up 73-60, but coach Adis Beciragic was loud enough in the huddle to inspire another BIH comeback, all the way to 76-72 with six minutes to play.
That's when the turning point happened, with once again Bozic contributing, but this time getting help from outside of the arc from Jaleen Smith and Filip Bundovic.
A pair of Bundovic long buckets pushed the gap back to double digits with just 2:15 to play, and there was no way back for the visitors.
Game hero
Luka Bozic has not played for Croatia since December 2018, but he returned as a much improved player now in his prime. The 28-year-old two-time Adriatic League MVP showed once again how much he enjoys being the king of the neighborhood.
Bozic finished with 25 points, hitting 9-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while also getting 9 rebounds, 3 assists and an efficiency rating of 34.
His scoring companion on the day was Jaleen Smith, author of 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three-point range.
Stats don't lie
Croatia knocked down 18-of-33 three-pointers, way better than BIH's 7-of-29 in that department, while the visitors also have to be better from the free throw line. They went 17-of-26 there, in a matchup where every point counts, that's way too many missed opportunities.
Bottom line
Croatia improved to 2-1, meaning they have the match point on Sunday. If they manage to complete the sweep in Sarajevo, while France defeat Cyprus, it would mean that Croatia are through to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 main draw, while Bosnia and Herzegovina would be eliminated.
Amar Gegic was their best player on the day with 18 points and 8 rebounds.
FIBA