EuroBasket 2011 is nearly to the end of pool play, meaning over the next few days, teams will find out their fates as to whether they will be able to move on to the quarterfinals -- and another step closer to a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. Saturday’s action, featuring three games, sealed the fate of Greece and Georgia while Finland kept its unlikely hopes alive.
EuroBasket 2011: Greece Moves On, Finland Stays Alive, Georgia Eliminated
Saturday's first game, between Greece and Finland, ended with an 87-73 victory in favor of the Finnish team as five players scored in double figures. Finland gained a big advantage when Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, Georgia's best player, went down with an injury earlier in the tournament. With the victory, Finland kept its hopes alive to advance to the next round -- they'll need to defeat Slovenia on Monday -- while also knocking Georgia out of contention.
The second game on Saturday took place between Macedonia and the aforementioned Slovenia as Bo McCalebb scored 19 points to continue his impressive play to give Macedonia the 69-58 victory. Macedonia is already headed to the second round, but the momentum certainly can’t hurt.
Russia overpowered Greece, 83-67, in a game that secured both team's advancement -- despite the Greek loss. Timofey Mozgov got the better of Kosta Koufos in the battle of NBA centers, however, as the Russian Mozgov scored 19 compared to Koufos' 15 points in the loss.
Russia will now play for first place in its group, against the aforementioned Macedonia, on Monday. Sunday’s games include Serbia vs. Turkey, France vs. Spain and Lithuania vs. Germany.
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