Croatia overpower USA in a thrilling 87-85 victory:
2011 FIBA U-19 World Championship
Croatia survived a late charge from USA in the qualifying rounds of the 2011 FIBA U-19 World Championship and secured a thrilling 87-85 victory.
Toni Katic and Boris Barac lifted the momentum for the Croatians and handed USA their first loss of the tournament.
Katic, the Croatian point guard erupted with a team-high 21 points and handed out 4 assist while big man Barac, who plays at the centre position, carried the action with 18 points and 7 rebounds in 32 minutes of playing time.
17 year old Dario Saric didn’t disappoint either and finished the night with 17 points and 8 boards.
For USA, small forward Jeremy Lamb was impressive once again as he racked up a game-high 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. However, the Americans ended with two points short in a hardly fought meeting.
Trailing by 9 points at the end of the third quarter, power forward Patric Young, who finished the game with 15 points, triggered the comeback in the fourth quarter. However his efforts fell short just in the last moments of the
game. Jeremy missed a scoring opportunity in the defining moments.
Both the teams headed out aggressively. The Croatian team managed to gain 25-24 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Even though the USA made life difficult for the opposition in the second quarter, however the Croatians
showcased enough strength to amplify the lead to 3 points going into the halftime at 46-43.
Croatia displayed a brilliant offensive performance in the third quarter which enabled them to gain a comprehensive 9 points lead before entering the final period of the game. Despite of USA’s untiring assault in the fourth quarter
to snatch the lead, Croatia defended their hold in the game and clinched a breathtaking win.
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