After their shocking losses in the quarter-finals, the main candidates for the gold at this year’s World Cup, USA and Serbia played a match for the 5th and 7th place instead of a battle for the gold.
Demotivated after the loss from France day earlier, Team USA played their worst quarter in history after scoring only 7 points in the 1st quarter, while Serbia scored 32.
Team USA managed to bounce back in the second quarter, winning it 33-12 but they didn’t manage to keep up the rhythm throughout the rest of the game as Serbia grabbed a 94-89 win that will keep their 2020 Olympic hopes alive. Serbia will face the Czech Republic for the 5th place, while the USA will battle against Poland for the 7th place, their all-time lowest ranking.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was the main player for Serbia yet again, scoring 28 points while Lucic scored 15. On the losing side, Harrison Barnes scored 22 and Kemba Walker scored 18 points.
The Serbs are not yet qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, while the USA managed to qualify after their win against Brazil. Coach Popovich is expected to bring back the ‘superstars’ for the Olympic Tournament in Tokyo 2020.
