3-in-1: Germany win the group, advance to Semi-Finals, eliminate Russia

SPLIT (Croatia) - Russia needed to win by seven points or more, and flirted with that margin for most of the game, but Germany closed out the fourth quarter on a high. Winning 69-67 sends them to the Semi-Finals, as group winners with a 2-0 record.

Germany will face either Croatia or Tunisia in the Semi-Finals, while second-placed Mexico are up against Brazil in the Final Four.

Turning point: Russia opened an eight-point lead late in the third and seemed to be running away in Split, but Germany had two huge plays in terms of the momentum swing in the last minute of the third frame. One was a Maodo Lo floater, the other was a steal plus a three-pointer by Robin Benzing, making it a one-possession game heading into the fourth.

All Germany had to do then was stay attached, and they did so thanks to Johannes Voigtmann and Joshiko Saibou knocking down a pair of huge three-pointers. When it was obvious Russia won't get the +7 in regulation, they tried to force overtime, but Germany made sure to avoid it by fouling at +3.

Game hero: Johannes Voigtmann high-arching shots have always been a thing of beauty, and when they are falling, they seem to ignite the rest of the team as well. The big guy finished with team-highs of 13 points and 7 rebounds. Honorable mention - Robin Benzing! The captain was always known for his offense, but against Russia he picked up 2 steals and 2 impressive blocks.

 

Stats don't lie: Turnovers killed Russia's chances - again. After committing 20 of them against Mexico, they were even worse in ball handling on Thursday with 21 against Germany, way too much in a win-or-go-home game.

Bottom line: Russia are eliminated, but this group was so close that for a couple of minutes near the end of the third quarter, they were looking like group winners. Germany have room for improvement, but at 2-0 they can be happy with the first part of their campaign in Split.

They said:

"This is not the result we wanted. I think we played much better than (against Mexico), if we could've played with the same intensity then, we would've been in the Semi-Finals. We had the margin we wanted but turned the ball over a couple of times. Knowing that we could not win by 7 points, we were trying to reach overtime, but unfortunately, after the final steal we had a very disappointing turnover. Bad experience is also experience. Sometimes better than the winning experience, it forces you to think more. We had some new names. In Russia, everybody thinks that basketball is dead. I don't think so. We had a campus with Russian youngsters, there is talent, but they have to play, and play on a high level." - Russia head coach Sergey Bazarevich

"I'm just proud of the game (against Germany). I have no questions about our team, because we fought until the last second, and I think that is the most important thing." - Timofey Mozgov, Russia

"Very proud of my team today. They showed their character in so many difficult situations. We were down by 10 in the third quarter, looked like we lost our way of playing, and then they just fought back. It's an extreme pleasure working with this group, we had contributions from guys, everyone was into it, certainly have to mention Robin Benzing coming off the bench, giving us a great lift. I'm proud of these guys, we are not celebrating yet because we feel like we have a chance to stay in this tournament a little bit longer, and we're looking forward to the next games." - Germany head coach Henrik Rodl

"I definitely felt much better than in the first game, more confident in myself, and in the way we played as a team. I joined the team just a few days ago finishing my German season a week and a half ago, it was a quick transition and I'm glad myself and the guys who joined later got into a good rhythm now, but I think there's still some room for improvement for our team." - Niels Giffey, Germany

FIBA