Game Summary

Turning Point: With Poland trailing 64-62 with 5:24 to go, Serbia outscored their opponents 13-10 en route to victory.
 
Hero: Nenad Krstic poured in a game-high 18 points, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked two shots to pace the Serbians.

Key Stats: Serbia out-rebounded Poland 38-34.

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Serbia opened up a 16-point lead but then had to hold on for dear life and prevailed 77-72 over tournament hosts Poland in the second game of Saturday's Qualifying Round Group F in Lodz.

Lucasz Koszarek came off the bench to give Poland a lift with 16 points.

Duzan Ivkovic's Blues went on top 56-40 midway through the third quarter but never-say-die Poland cut the deficit to 64-62 with 5:24 to go with a spirited effort from their bench.

Inspired by the excellent Lukasz Koszarek, Poland cut the gap to just two points and then had a chance to go on top but Koszarek missed from long range and Serbia rebounded.

The team from the Balkans then steadied the ship with four straight points on a pair of free-throws by Milenko Tepic and a dunk by Nenad Krstic.

Poland stayed within striking distance but Serbia held on for their third win at the EuroBasket.

The win improved Serbia to 2-1 in Group F and dropped the Poles to their second consecutive setback following their 87-69 loss to Turkey in the previous round.

"This is big win for us," said Serbia's Uros Tripkovic, who finished with 12 points.

"We played in a full arena, we played in a visiting court and we won so that shows the character of our team. It was an important win for us in this group.

"We didn't panic when they fought back. We just stayed focused on what we had to do and it was the right way to think."

Krstic was immense.

He poured in a game-high 18 points, pulled down eight rebounds and swatted two shots to pace the Serbians.
Milos Teodosic contributed 13 points, including seven in the final quarter.

Marcin Gortat and Koszarek had 16 points apiece for Poland.

More than 10,000 fans roared from start to finish at the Lodz Arena.

"I think that for a young team, that is not so experience, this game was a very big task," said Ivkovic.

"There was a lot of support for the Polish team.I think we controlled the game very well, and I think our defense was at a high level."

The Serbs limited Poland center Macej Lampe, who had gone into the contest as the third top scorer in the tournament with 17.7 points per game, to just two points in 20 minutes on the court while David Logan had just four at the break before finishing with 10.

"Our defense on Lampe and Logan was great," said Ivkovic.

Serbia led 43-36 at half-time, with Poland's Michal Ignerski leading all scorers with 13 points.

Gortat scored two consecutive baskets to cut the deficit 43-40 early in the third quarter but Ivkovic's side replied with an 13-0 run, with Krstic scoring six points in that surge.

Poland scored nine unanswered points as part of a 22-8 run over the next 10 minutes to cut the deficit 64-62 but that was as close as Muli Katzurin's side got.

"I think we didn't play like a team as we needed to," said Katzurin. "I expected us to play better, especially on defense.

"That didn't happen.

"We made unnecessary turnovers and that led to points."

Serbia out-rebounded Poland 38-34.

Dusan Ivkovic (Serbia Coach):

"It was a very big test for my young team, playing against Poland and their very good crowd. We controlled the game from the start and our defense today was on a really high level. We played very good defense on both Logan and Lampe. When we were plus 16 my team didn't give the young polish players enough respect and they made a comeback, led by a very good Lukasz Koszarek. We also had two injured players and I have to make sure, that they will be ready for next games."

Uros Tripkovic (Serbia):

"It's a very import ant win for us, winning here in front of such a big crowd shows the character of our team. Now we have to forget this win and prepare for next game against Turkey."

Nenad Krstic, (Serbia):

"We have a very hard group, so we are happy that today we have made the first step to qualify. It was a really tough step. We felt an enormous pressure from this hot atmosphere in the arena. Today's result is a great achievement for us."

Muli Katzurin (Poland Coach):

"I want to congratulate coach Ivkovic and his players. In a game like this we should take a lead from the start and we should play very good defense. We didn't do it and we had to chase them. We had our chances to win this game, but we made poor decisions at critical moments. Serbia deserved this win and we have to look for next games."

Łukasz Koszarek, (Poland):

"We should have played different today. At the beginning we played too slowly. Then Serbia took advantage of several points and we had to chase the result. It was the moment when we should have played calmly, but it seemed like we didn't stand the pressure. Our main problem is defense - in the second half we defended better, but it was not enough for the opponent. I have to admit, that today the Serbian team was well prepared for the game. We could win this game, but we didn't manage it. There are two really hard games in front of us. We will keep fighting."

Hosts Poland will hope to take a step closer to reaching the Quarter-Final stage of EuroBasket for the first time since 1997 when they go up against Serbia in their Qualifying Round opener on Saturday.

Wins over Bulgaria and Lithuania saw the Poles progress from Group D but they now face tough tests in the form of Serbia, Slovenia and Spain, who advanced from Group C, dubbed the ‘Group of Death'.

The home side look sure to use more of their high-octane offense as they try to improve to a 2-1 mark in Group F with a win. Their 82 points per game over the first three outings ranked third behind Greece and Turkey.

Serbia recorded a memorable win over world champions Spain and recovered from a defeat against Slovenia with a decisive win over Great Britain.

Captain Nenad Krstic provided timely baskets as Dusan Ivkovic's men used a 17-4 spurt late in the third quarter to put the outcome beyond all doubt.

The Serbs have done well when they took the initiative from the very start (as they did against Spain) but must do a better job of closing out games and not resting on their laurels too much.

Head to head: This will be the first official game between the two sides. Yugoslavia beat Poland in the opening round of EuroBasket 1997, on their way to winning the tournament.

Last time out: Poland suffered their first defeat, 87-69, at the hands of undefeated Turkey while Serbia sent Great Britain crashing out of the tournament with a 77-59 demolition.

Key match-up: Marcin Gortat v Nenad Krstic. The battle of the big men. While he has averaged more than 17 points through the first three games, Gortat insists his role primarily lies at the defensive end, as an intimidator. He has played that role to great effect so far, currently leading all players in blocks per game (2.3) and trailing only Andris Biedrins in the rebounding race (11.3). Krstic is at the very core of Serbia's offense and, in Gortat, faces perhaps his toughest and most physical opponent yet. He will be made to work very hard for every shot, basket and point.

X-factor: Lasting the distance. Poland will be eager to impress their fans in Gortat's home town and light up the scoreboard as they have done so far. That approach might prove costly. Serbia also have to manage themselves. They got off to a great start against Spain and held a 56-37 lead heading into the final quarter when they ran out of steam and were lucky the world champions couldn't find their range on the day.

Stats: 35.0 and 18.6 - The combined averages in terms of points and rebounds by Poland's inside duo of Gortat and Maciej Lampe. They might slide somewhat as they go up against the impressive frontlines of Serbia and Spain.

Sounding-off: "Serbia have a lot of good big men and we will have to try and stop them. We have to stop Nenad and the ones who can step out and take three-pointers. This is a team that is well-balanced and they're very well coached by coach Ivkovic. He's a great fit for them." -Poland's Marcin Gortat.