Montenegro, which led for nearly the entire game, was unable to hold off Turkey down the stretch in its 79-74 loss on Saturday at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
Turkey, which trailed 11-2 to start the game and by 10 with just over four minutes left in the fourth, finished the night on a 24-9 run. Cedi Osman buried a pair of free throws with 1:36 left to give Turkey its first lead. After Montenegro went back in front, the 6-foot-8 forward came up clutch again, connecting on a go-ahead driving layup with 28 seconds remaining.
Coming off the best season of his NBA career in which he was named a first-time All-Star while guiding the Orlando Magic to their first playoff appearance in seven years, Nikola Vucevic posted 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in defeat. The 7-footer, currently the longest-tenured player on the Magic, shot 8-of-21 from the field and 1-of-4 from 3-point range.
Derek Needham and Bojan Dubljevic were the only other Montenegrins to score in double figures, posting 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Turks, who lost by just one in overtime to the United States in the first round, were led by Osman, who scored 19, and Melih Mahmutoglu, who poured in 17.
Montenegro’s final game of this competition will be on Monday when it takes on Japan at 3:30 a.m. ET.