With just one spot left in the
quarterfinals, Serbia and South Sudan played a game down to the
wire. In the end, however, it was Serbia who came out on top to
beat South Sudan in Group C of the Paris 2024 Olympics, 96-85, at
the Pierre de Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.
After Brazil clinched their
quarterfinal spot by beating Japan, South Sudan needed a win to
book their slot and deny Greece in the process. However, Nikola
Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Serbia had other plans in
mind.
The NBA duo of Jokic and
Bogdanovic shined when it mattered the most for Serbia. Bogdanovic
top-scored for the Serbians with 30 big points, on an efficient
10/14 shooting game, knocking in 6 threes. Jokic had yet another
double-double performance with 22 points and 13 rebounds as Serbia
shot an absurd 60% from the field.
Despite the loss, South Sudan
fought and had plenty to be proud of. They won their first Olympic
game in their history and put up strong performances against
basketball juggernauts USA and Serbia. The SSD basketball
federation has come a long way with its journey led by former NBA
player Luol Deng, and this program figures to be ascending to the
basketball hierarchy sooner rather than later.
South Sudan point guard Carlik
Jones gave it his all after playing all 40 minutes, scoring 17
points, dishing out 10 assists, and grabbing 5 rebounds in an
all-around effort. Former NBAer Marial Shayok also provided the
necessary support for Jones with 17 points, while former Baylor
standout Nuni Omot added 14 points.
South Sudan made 14-34 threes
overall, but Serbia had a huge advantage in free throws, making
21/31 to South Sudan’s just 6 attempts with 5
makes.
Up next for Serbia is a
quarterfinal bout with Australia.
