High-octane Serbia race past Czech Republic into Final

BELGRADE (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Serbia's high-octane offence propelled the hosts of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade to a 96-72 win over the Czech Republic in an entertaining semi-final encounter on Friday night.

Turning Point: The Czech Republic reduced a 17-point deficit to 65-56 with 1:25 remaining in the third frame but Milos Teodosic quickly put to rest any Czech hopes of a comeback by drilling a quick three-pointer and sparking an 8-2 Serbian mini-run to end the period. The gap stretched to 73-58 and never fell back to single digits.

Stats Don't Lie: Serbia had already dished out a collective 27 assists by the end of the third quarter as they executed to perfection and scored on back-door-cuts again and again. The hosts scored from inside the paint 36 of their 48 points on two-point shots.

Game Hero: Milos Teodosic had a rather discreet first half with two points while the fantastic on the night Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic were spearheading the Serbian offence, but came out in the third quarter determined to close out the game and collected 14 points in that period.

The Bottom Line: Serbia will face Puerto Rico in front of their home crowd in Saturday's final for the coveted ticket to Rio 2016. The Czech Republic gained new fans with their tough-as-nails displays during this OQT but their Olympic dream will not be fulfilled this summer.

FIBA