Goran Dragic wasn’t able to see his home country earn a medal at EuroBasket 2013. Instead, he and his brother Zoran helped punch tickets to the 2014 FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket 2015.
Less than 24 hours after losing to France in the quarterfinals, the duo combined for 38 points in a 92-74 rout over Serbia in the first consolation round. The Suns point guard finished with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Zoran finished with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
The younger brother once again showed a nose for the ball, coming up with nine points and two steals to go along with his game-high scoring performance. Meanwhile the Suns’ Dragic again flummoxed the opposition by driving straight to the rim. The result was an 8-of-10 performance from the free throw line.
The win makes the tournament a lot sweeter for host Slovenia (6-4), as it secures them a spot in the next international tournaments. The top seven teams from the tournament would qualify for next year’s World Cup. Spain, however, is automatically in as the host nation in 2014 and, having already advanced to the semifinals, meant that only six spots remained.
With Thursday’s win pushing them into the top six, Slovenia was able to snag one of those spots. They can finish as high as fifth if they win their final game on Saturday.
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