Easy win for Croatia at FIBA Worlds
Croatia got back on the winning track with an easy victory over winless Tunisia in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey.
The Croatians relied heavily on their shooters to dump the Tunisians, 84-64, and secure their second win in Group B.
The Europeans waxed hot early in the game, racing to a 10-0 lead. The Tunisians responded with eight straight points to close the gap. However, it proved to be the closest the North Africans could get back in the game as Marko Popovic took over. The veteran guard buried a trio of three-pointers to spark a 13-2 run that gave the Croatians a 23-10 lead in the closing stages of the first quarter. Popovic scored nine points in the period.
The Josip Vrankovic-coached Croatians remained on target in the second period. A trey from Bojan Bogdanovic gave the Croatians a 31-14 cushion. The Croatians went on to build a commanding 43-23 half-time lead.
Tunisia finally showed some aggressiveness at the start of the second half. Makrem Ben Romdhane and Radhouane Slimane combined for five points to put the Tunisians within 28-43. But the Croatians quickly regained their composure to keep their opponents at bay. Another late surge from the Croatians allowed them to increase their advantage to 65-40 heading into the final quarter.
With the outcome of the game already settled, the Croatians just cruised in the final 10 minutes of play. The only consolation for the Tunisians is that they outscored their superior opponents, 24-19, in the last quarter.
Bogdanovic was the top performer for Croatia with 19 points and three assists. Popovic had an all-around performance of 16 points, four rebounds and five assists. Ante Tomic dominated the shaded lane with 15 points and nine rebounds while big man Luksa Andric contributed 10 points off the bench. Marko Tomas also provided the Serbians quality minutes, contributing eight points and two assists. Romdhane led all scorers with 23 points. Guard Naim Dhifallah added eight points while centre Salah Mejri contributed seven for the Tunisians.
Croatia's final group game will be against Brazil tomorrow. The Croatians were crushed by the United States, 78-106, in their opening game but bounced back with a 75-54 victory over Iran in their next outing. They lost to Slovenia, 84-91, on Monday. Tunisia have the daunting task of facing the United States in their final group assignment. The Tunisians, coached by Adel Tlatli, previously lost to Slovenia (56-80), Brazil (65-80) and Iran (58-71).
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