South Sudan lost to Serbia 96-85 in their third Group B match to end their campaign at the Paris 2024 Men’s Basketball Event on Saturday.
The East Africans began their Olympic campaign with a stunning victory against Puerto Rico in the first match but lost their following matches to USA and Serbia to crash out from the tournament.
Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic led the game in scoring with 30 points on 10-for-14 shooting, making six three-pointers in nine attempts. He also added eight assists to his account.
Additionally, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic finished the game with a double-double of 22 points on six-for-eight shooting and 13 rebounds.
Carlik Jones led the way for South Sudan, playing all 40 minutes without a second of rest. He scored 17 points on 8-for-15 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out 10 assists. Marial Shayok had 14 points, making four triples out of 10.
The game started off with the two teams trading baskets back and forth. At the end of the first quarter, Serbia managed to edge their opponents, 23-22.
With Serbia leading by nine in the second quarter (34-25), South Sudan went on an 8-2 run, forcing Serbia’s Svetislav Pesic to call a timeout (36-33).
Jones scored the last point of the half, cutting South Sudan’s deficit to three (44-47).
In the second half, Marial Shayok hit two three-pointers, Wenyen Gabriel made a difference under the basket with two consecutive makes, and Serbia called a timeout in the middle of the third quarter, up by only one (59-58).
Jones hit a hook shot with the third quarter’s buzzer, but it’s negated. After review, the shot was ultimately counted, and Serbia led by five with 10 minutes remaining (72-67).
With 5:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, Vasilije Micic hit a wide-open triple, Carlik Jones lost the ball on the ensuing possession, and Filip Petrusev finished off the fast break, forcing South Sudan to call a timeout (83-74).
South Sudan struggled to make shots in the last couple of minutes, while Serbia maintained composure and captured the win in the end.
Serbia’s 11-point win eliminated South Sudan from the Olympic playoffs, as South Sudan needed either a win or a loss by less than 3 points.
As such, Greece advanced as the second-best third-placed team. Serbia will be placed in the second pot in the playoff draw, while Greece will be in the fourth.
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