PIRAEUS (Greece) - Croatia have secured their spot in the Semi-Finals despite a 4-point defeat to New Zealand, due to the fact that they are now 1-1 with a +12 overall point differential, meaning they cannot finish bottom of Group A no matter what happens on Thursday.
On Wednesday, it was time for Ivica Zubac to set a new record. The 216cm (7 ft 1 in) tall Los Angeles Clipper was too big and too strong for the Tall Blacks, powering through for a monster double-double.
Zubac finished with 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting, grabbed 16 rebounds, amassing an efficiency rating of 43.
This is now the new mark for the most efficient game in FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament history since at least 2008, when the relative record-keeping commenced. Zubac surpassed Luka Doncic's rating of 42 back in the 2021 OQT Final in Lithuania, against the hosts.
The 27-year-old Zubac has played for a total of 43 minutes across two group games, and still got 47 points, 24 rebounds and 7 assists to help Croatia get within two games of reaching the Olympics.
FIBA