 |
| FIBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Croatia and Serbia walked away with the first two OQT championships in Europe and claimed the tenth and the 11th spots to the Rio Olympics on Sunday (Philippine Time).
Croatia needed overtime before repulsing Italy, 84-78, in the Turin final.
The Croats broke away from a close fight almost all game long as Bojan Bogdanovic fired a dagger triple with 1:14 left in overtime as the hosts played without Danilo Gallinari and Luigi Datome, who each got their fifth foul in the fourth period.
In Belgrade, Serbia took control of the their own OQT final against Puerto Rico from the start to clinch a 108-77 rout.
After conceding the match's first basket, the Serbians went on a 24-0 run and never looked back to become the only OQT host nation to earn a spot in the August classic.
Croatia and Serbia will join host Brazil, FIBA World Cup champion USA, and outright continental qualifiers Argentina, Australia, China, Lithuania, Nigeria, Spain, and Venezuela in the Olympic basketball competition.
Canada and France will dispute the last Olympic spot in the OQT final at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay later Sunday.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg)
