Poland erase 13-point second-half deficit to advance to Berlin

PRAGUE (Czech Republic) - Michal Sokolowski, also known as Sokol - meaning the Falcon - played his best game in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022, leading Poland to a big comeback win, 75-69, over Netherlands after trailing by double digits.

The Netherlands were up by 13 midway through the third quarter, holding Poland to just 1-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. But they could not hold on, losing another close game in this event, falling to 0-4 and getting eliminated from contention for a spot in the Round of 16.

Turning point: Poland head coach Igor Milicic was searching for somebody who could make things happen, since his stars A.J. Slaughter and Mateusz Ponitka were held to 11 points combined. He found his hero in the small forward Michal Sokolowski and the big guy Aleksander Balcerowski.

Sokolowski had 18 of his 24 points after the break, and was influential in the big shooting run late in the third and early in the fourth. Poland went from shooting 1-of-13 from deep to hitting four of their next five attempts, put together a 12-1 run to start the fourth and took full control of the game.

TCL Player of the Game: It could've been Sokolowski, but Aleksander Balcerowski was the most influential man on the floor, dominating with his height and dunks. The center collected 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, getting an efficiency rating of 26, the highest in his team.

Stats don't lie: The Netherlands were out-rebounded again, 36-24, which led to Poland being +8 in second chance points and +22 in points in the paint. Too big.

Bottom line: Poland are through to the next round, they have three wins to their name, and there will be nervous teams looking at their schedule now, because win for Poles mean that Finland could be eliminated with a defeat to Czech Republic.

The Netherlands played another great game, but fell short once again. With just a bit of luck, they easily could've been a 3-1 team here, because they were one-possession away in three games in Czech Republic.

They said:

FIBA