Milos Teodosic had 24 points and Serbia held off a fourth-quarter charge from France to earn a 90-85 victory in the semifinals of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. With the victory, Serbia will play Team USA in the gold-medal game on Sunday.
France vs. Serbia final score: Serbia wins, 90-85, to advance to World Cup final
Serbia held off a late French rally led by Nicolas Batum to earn a spot in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup final against Team USA.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Serbia dominated play in the first half, taking a 46-32 lead into the break. The lead was 15 points entering the final frame before Nicolas Batum led France on a late rally to get back into the game. Batum scored 17 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and France got within two points in the final minute, but Serbia went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the game.
Serbia got balanced scoring in the victory, with six players reaching double figures. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points and four assists off the bench, while Nenad Krstic, Miroslav Raduljica and Stefan Markovic all had 11 points. Nemanja Bjelica added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Serbia shot 57.1 percent overall and went 8-of-15 from long distance.
Boris Diaw had 13 points and 10 rebounds in defeat for France. Evan Fournier chipped in 10 points off the bench. Rudy Gobert had a much quieter game after his big effort against Spain, going for just four points and five rebounds. France shot 15-of-33 from deep, but it wasn't enough to overcome Serbia's potent offensive attack. France will face Lithuania in the third-place game on Saturday.
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