Finland pulled away from Hungary in the second half to win 88-73 on Saturday.

The Finns, hoping to stay in the hunt for a place in the Additional Qualifying Round, were knotted in a 42-42 half-time tie but turned on the style in the third quarter and rolled to a decisive win.

Back-to-back three-balls from Sam Huff and Petteri Koponen opened up a 55-47 Finnish advantage with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter.

The hosts extended the lead to 70-58 by the end of the frame.

Henrik Dettmann's team went in front by 18 in the final quarter before settling for a 15-point triumph.

Tuukka Kotti finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in a virtuoso performance for Finland.

Kimmo Muurinen had 22 points to lead the Finns in scoring, with Huff and Koponen contributing 20 apiece.

Tamas Kaman had 22 points and seven boards for the Hungarians.

The four group winners in Division A, and the three best second-place teams earn direct tickets for EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.

Of the 10 teams remaining, the top six ranked sides advance to the Additional Qualifying Round to compete for one spot in Poland, while the lowest four ranked sides go to the Relegation Round.

Sadly for the Hungarians, they will be one of the bottom four and now have to fight to preserve their Division A status.

Head coach team Hungary Mr. Lajos Mészáros:

Finland played well and their defense was very aggressive.

Hungary player Tamás Kámán:

We took too many technical fouls and got tired at the end of the game.

Head coach Finland Mr. Henrik Dettmann:

A very tough game. We were able to make good things happen on the court, once we found the right lineups. It was a good and important win for us.

Finland player Mr. Tuukka Kotti:

We had some difficulties in the beginning and had to make some adjustments at half-time, but then we got our game together.