Bosnia and Herzegovina shock reigning champs Slovenia

COLOGNE (Germany) - Bosnia and Herzegovina took a major step towards reaching the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Knockout Phase with a surprising 97-93 victory over reigning champs Slovenia.

It was Bosnia and Herzegovina's first ever win over Slovenia, having lost their other three games against the fellow Balkan nation with the last game dating back to EuroBasket 2005. Bosnia and Herzegovina are well alive to advance from the first round of a EuroBasket for just the second time following 1993. 

 
Turning Point: The game was tight and back and forth throughout and was knotted  86-86 with four minutes to play. A Roberson three-pointer put Bosnia and Herzegovina up 91-86 and Edin Atic converted a layup with 53 seconds to play for a 93-89 lead. Roberson and Atic iced the game with two free throws each in the final 13.5 seconds.

TCL Player of the Game: Dzanan Musa was a major force for Bosnia and Herzegovina with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Stats Don't Lie: Bosnia and Herzegovina were unstoppable from the outside, hitting 50 percent on three-pointers while they also made 16-of-17 free throws - including all four in the final 13.5 seconds. 

Bottom Line: Bosnia and Herzegovina will have a day to rest before their dramatic showdown with France, whom they beat 96-90 in double overtime on August 27 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. Slovenia meanwhile face hosts Germany, a team that beat them 90-71 on August 28 in the European Qualifiers. 

They said: "Goosebumps. Just an amazing feeling alongside Jusuf the leader of this team. This team is unbelievable. We can do anything in this EuroBasket. - Dzanan Musa, Bosnia and Herzegovina

"We don't have any quit in us. When we get down, we keep fighting. People think we are out - down six - we come back. I come out of the game and the bench gives us that boost. We have players who can play a lot of positions off the bench and that gives us a boost. We have a lot of weapons." - John Roberson, Bosnia and Herzegovina

"This feels unreal to come to EuroBasket and win first game and then beat the reigning champions in front of so many fans. This us one of the biggest victories in the history of our basketball. For sure it feels amazing to be part of it and enjoy it in front of our amazing fans. There were carrying us. We love it. We enjoy it. For sure this day off we will use it to celebrations." - Miralem Halilovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

"Today they played a great game. Part of that responsibility goes to us. I think from the start of the game we didn’t put enough pressure on them. And they started making shots all over the place. The other point that hurt us was our defensive rebounding. They out-rebounded us, especially in the second half, and that gave them a boost and were even more confident." -Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic

"We knew that this game would not be easy, as you saw. No game is easy in this tournanet. I think crucial last threes from them and offensive rebounds cost us the win." - Vlatko Cancar, Slovenia

 
FIBA