By Josh Cohen
Aug. 17, 2016
The most exciting and competitive men’s basketball quarterfinal matchup at the 2016 Olympics in Rio was saved for the nightcap.
And it was fitting that the game featured a pair of rivals and up and coming teams.
Croatia – as it has shown since the Olympic Qualifying Tournament last month – is as physical, passionate and resilient as any team we’ve seen over the past several Olympics.
However, sometimes all it takes is just one quarter to strip away all the good things that happened throughout the rest of the contest.
For Croatia, it was a dreadful third quarter that wiped away what otherwise was a valiant effort in a significant game.
Croatia was rolling for most of the first half (led 38-32 at the break) and showed incredible spirit and toughness in the fourth. However, surrendering 34 points in the third was too much to overcome in Croatia’s 86-83 elimination loss to Serbia on Wednesday.
Mario Hezonja did everything he could to keep Croatia alive. He drilled a 3-pointer with 4:29 left to play to pull his country within three and buried six free throws in the final 24 seconds to keep it a one possession game. Serbia made seven straight at the line to advance to the semifinals for the second time in its Olympic history.
The Orlando Magic swingman finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. In six games during these Olympics, Hezonja shot 18-of-37 (49 percent) from the field and 12-of-24 (50 percent) from 3-point range. He also looked like an improved and more committed defender than what we saw during his rookie NBA season.
To nobody’s surprise, Bojan Bogdanovic had another splendid performance with 28 points. While he carried the team’s scoring for most of the competition, it was Croatia’s collective defensive effort and rebounding prowess that seemed to have the greatest impact on its journey to the quarterfinals.
Serbia took care of the ball (eight fewer turnovers) and dominated the paint (outscored Croatia 40-22 inside). It also got substantial contributions from its cast of reserves. Serbia’s bench outscored Croatia’s 39-26.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (no relation to Bojan) led Serbia with 18 points. Serbia, which will play Australia in the semifinals, led by as many as 14 in the second half. Nikola Jokic and Miroslav Raduljica each scored 12 points.
Croatia has advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the four Olympics it has participated in. It won the silver medal in 1992 in Barcelona.