OPQT's: Netherlands survive with last second basket; Croatia put one foot towards the last four

ISTANBUL (Turkiye) - Charlon Kloof kept the Netherlands' Olympic dreams alive after hitting the game-winning basket against Belgium, while Croatia downed Sweden to continue their perfect start. 

Here's a wrap of day three of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul.

Netherlands survive Belgium's comeback 

After both teams lost their opening Group D games, it was a must-win clash and the Netherlands made their move with a 14-2 run during a dominant second-quarter.  Center Jesse Edwards threatened to take control with a couple of dunks as the Netherlands held a commanding 55-38 lead in the third. 

Charlon Kloof was a last second hero for Netherlands

But led by the terrific two-way play of Loic Schwartz, a gritty Belgium chipped away to close the gap with a 17-2 run.  They hit the lead early in the fourth, but Kloof stepped up to thwart Belgium's momentum.

In a dramatic final minute, Kloof found Edwards for a dunk to give the Netherlands a 76-73 lead only for Milan Samardzic's three-pointer levelling the scores with five second left. 

 

But Kloof's heroics weren't over as he drove down the lane and hit the tough layup as the Netherlands kept their Olympic hopes alive with a 78-76 victory while knocking out Belgium in the process.  Kloof finished with 16 points and 7 steals, while Schwartz led Belgium with 19 points.

Croatia dominate second half to crush Sweden 

Both teams entered confident after opening wins, but Sweden suffered a major blow with star guard Melwin Pantzar ruled out with a foot injury having scored 28 points in their win over Netherlands.

Sweden stormed to a 20-12 lead with Elijah Clarance nailing four three-pointers in the opening five minutes. But Croatia rallied with a 12-2 run to hit the front by the first break. 

Croatia threatened to blow the game open in the second quarter, but Clarance kept them in touch with a couple of deep threes capping a 26-point first half.

Croatia then stepped up their defensive intensity, including clamping down on Clarance, to outscore Sweden 21-7 in the third quarter.  They cruised to a 99-67 win with Jaleen Smith top-scoring for Croatia with 24 points, while Clarance cooled off to finish with 29 points on 27 shots. 

Top Performers

Charlon Kloof submitted an inspirational performance complete with tough layups, two dunks, stellar playmaking and stingy defense. Kloof capped all of that with a game-winning fancy layup as he finished with the highest efficiency on day three with 28.  

Croatia star Ivica Zubac had the highest efficiency on day two with 33 and was again a force with a superb all-round game of 13 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. He finished with an efficiency of 26. 

With Dario Saric and Mario Hezonja quiet on offense, Jaleen Smith shouldered the scoring load to finish with 24 points, including 5 of 11 from three. The speedy guard also played hardnosed defence to stifle Sweden. 

Saric wasn't needed greatly on offense, but he contributed in other areas - especially as a playmaker highlighted by one pretty no-look dime. He had 9 points and 7 assists while playing solid defense. 

Thijs De Ridder had a tough time against Croatia's interior size in Belgium's opener, but the 20-year-old performed admirably against talented Netherlands center Jesse Edwards. After a slow start he got going to finish with 12 points and 7 rebounds. 

Picture of the Day

Clarance's first half masterpiece was complete with hot shooting and drives to the rim - as perfectly captured in this picture.  

Highlight of the Day

We have to circle back to the opening game and again marvel at Charlon Kloof's amazing game-winner. 

FIBA