EuroBasket 2017

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In a bit of an upset, Bojan Bogdanovic's Team Croatia was eliminated in their first game of the Round of 16 by Russia at EuroBasket 2017.

Croatia had previously rolled through the group stage, going an impressive 4-1 with its only loss being to Spain — the tournament's favored team in most years.

But on Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey, Russia took care of Croatia handily, winning 101-78 and bumping Bogdanovic's team out of the competition.

Individually, Bogdanovic put forth another effort that separated himself as one of the top players in the competition. The small forward scored a game-high 28 points while grabbing four rebounds.

But on the other side of the ball, Russia's Aleksei Shved was a force, notching a double-double with 27 points and 12 assists in the win.

Bogdanovic exits the tournament having scored a total of 116 points, the eighth-most of any player in the tournament.

Friday, Sept. 1 - Croatia 67, Hungary 58 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Saturday, Sept. 2 - Croatia 74, Romania 58 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Monday, Sept. 4 - Croatia 76, Montenegro 72 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Tuesday, Sept. 5 - Croatia 73, Spain 79 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Thursday, Sept. 7 - Croatia 107, Czech Republic 69 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Sunday, Sept. 10 - Croatia 78, Russia 101 (Istanbul, Turkey)

bogdanovic-and-croatia-bumped-from-eurobasket-by-russia

Bogdanovic and Croatia Bumped From EuroBasket by Russia

Wheat Hotchkiss

Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic and Croatia suffered their first loss of EuroBasket 2017 on Tuesday, falling to defending European champions Spain, 79-73. Through four games, Croatia is now 3-1, putting them in second place in Group C behind the Spaniards (4-0).

Bogdanovic, who entered the day as the tournament's fourth-leading scorer at 22.3 points per game, struggled to find any sort of rhythm early and was scoreless at halftime. He heated up, however, in the third quarter, converting a cutting layup off a dish from Dario Saric and then drilling three 3-pointers to help Croatia take the lead.

The Croatians led by as many as four points in the second half and had a one-point lead with just over four minutes to play. Spain, however, reeled off six unanswered points to move back in front and looked on their way to victory before technical fouls were called on both forward Pau Gasol and coach Sergio Scariolo with 1:32 remaining.

Under FIBA rules, Croatia got four free throws following the two technical fouls and Saric converted them all to make it a one-point game.

Sergio Rodriguez knocked down a jumper with 38 seconds remaining that pushed Spain's lead back to 70-67, but Bogdanovic answered nine seconds laters with a driving basket on the other end.

The Croatians then elected to foul Ricky Rubio, who made both foul shots before another layup from Bogdanovic made it 73-72 with 22 seconds remaining.

Fernando San Emeterio converted two free throws for Spain to make it a three-point game once again. On the other end, Bogdanovic again drove to the basket, but this time his attempt was swatted away by Juancho Hernangomez, effectively sealing the victory for Spain.

Bogdanovic finished with 15 points, three rebounds, and one assist, going 6-for-16 from the field and 3-for-9 from 3-point range. Saric led Croatia with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.

Rubio led Spain with 13 points and four assists. San Emeterio and Rodriguez each added 12 points, while Gasol chipped in 11 points, 10 boards, and three assists.

Croatia has one more group game against the Czech Republic on Thursday morning. Bogdanovic and his countrymen have already clinched a spot in the 16-team knockout round bracket, which begins on Sept. 9.

Despite Tuesday's loss, Croatia is in good position to finish in second place in Group C, which would mean a matchup with the third-place team from Group D (likely Latvia, Serbia, or Russia) in the Round of 16.

Friday, Sept. 1 - Croatia 67, Hungary 58 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Saturday, Sept. 2 - Croatia 74, Romania 58 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Monday, Sept. 4 - Croatia 76, Montenegro 72 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Tuesday, Sept. 5 - Croatia 73, Spain 79 Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Thursday, Sept. 7 - Croatia vs. Czech Republic | 7:30 AM ET (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Sept. 9-17 - Knockout Round Bracket (Istanbul, Turkey)

spain-hands-bogdanovic-croatia-first-eurobasket-loss

Spain Hands Bogdanovic, Croatia First EuroBasket Loss

Bojan Bogdanovic and Croatia are still rolling in EuroBasket 2017. The Pacers forward led all scorers with 23 points as Croatia held off a late surge from Montenegro to come away with a 76-72 victory on Monday.

Bogdanovic scored 19 points in the first half on Tuesday. He finished the contest 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. The 6-8 swingman also tallied six rebounds and one assist in the win.

Bogdanovic has been the leading scorer in each of Croatia's first three wins in the 24-team FIBA European championship. Monday's win guaranteed the country at least a top-four finish in six-team Group C, meaning they will advance to the 16-team knockout phase of the tournament.

Through three games, Bogdanovic is averaging 22.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Croatia's next game figures to be their biggest challenge yet. Bogdanovic and his countrymen will face defending EuroBasket champions Spain on Tuesday at 10:45 AM ET. The Spaniards, led by All-Star brothers Pau and Marc Gasol, are the only other remaining unbeaten team in Group C.

Friday, Sept. 1 - Croatia 67, Hungary 58 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Saturday, Sept. 2 - Croatia 74, Romania 58 | Recap » (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Monday, Sept. 4 - Croatia 76, Montenegro 72 (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Tuesday, Sept. 5 - Croatia vs. Spain | 10:45 AM ET (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Thursday, Sept. 7 - Croatia vs. Czech Republic | 7:30 AM ET (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Sept. 9-17 - Knockout Round Bracket (Istanbul, Turkey)

bogdanovic-leads-croatia-to-third-straight-victory

Bogdanovic Leads Croatia to Third Straight Victory

For the second game in a row, Bojan Bogdanovic paced Croatia in scoring, leading his country to a 2-0 record in the group stage of EuroBasket 2017 with a comfortable 74-58 victory over Romania.

Despite it being a home game for Romania, being played in the city Cluj-Napoca, Team Croatia — which features multiple NBA players — overwhelmed the hosts, outscoring them in every quarter en route to the 16-point victory.

Bogdanovic, who joined the Pacers over the offseason via free agency, led the game in scoring for the second outing in a row, tallying 21 points. In addition to his scoring, Bogdanovic also pulled down six rebounds and passed out an assist. While Bogdanovic was on the floor, Croatia outscored Romania by 17 points.

76ers forward Dario Saric, also suiting up for Croatia, chipped in with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the winning effort.

Team Croatia (2-0) will have one day to rest before taking the floor against Montenegro (1-1) on Monday at 10:45 AM ET.

Friday, Sept. 1 - Croatia 67, Hungary 58 | Recap »
Saturday, Sept. 2 - Croatia 74, Romania 58
Monday, Sept. 4 - Croatia vs. Montenegro | 10:45 AM ET
Tuesday, Sept. 5 - Croatia vs. Spain | 10:45 AM ET
Thursday, Sept. 7 - Croatia vs. Czech Republic | 7:30 AM ET
Sept. 9-17 - Knockout Round Bracket (Istanbul, Turkey)

EuroBasket 2017

Bogdanovic and Croatia Bumped From EuroBasket by Russia

Spain Hands Bogdanovic, Croatia First EuroBasket Loss

Bogdanovic Leads Croatia to Third Straight Victory

Bogdanovic Keeps Croatia Undefeated in EuroBasket