PIRAEUS, Greece, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Greece stormed into the final of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), crushing Slovenia 96-68 on Saturday, one step away from being awarded the ticket to Paris 2024.
In Saturday's other semifinals, Croatia edged off the Dominican Republic 80-77 to set up a final match-up against Greece on Sunday.
The hosts had a perfect start of a 13-0 lead when Slovenia did not score in almost three and a half minutes. The nightmare of Slovenia just began as Greece extended the lead to 32-14 in the first quarter, and 47-33 at the break.
Things did not get better in the second half for Slovenia, and an 18-3 run of Greece in the fourth quarter put the game beyond touch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 13 points in an almost 20-minute play, and his teammate Thomas Walkup led Greece with 19 points.
Luka Doncic had 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while center Josh Nebo contributed 17 points for Slovenia.
Tying at 53-53 to enter the decisive fourth quarter, Croatia and the Dominican Republic battled in every corner of the court, and Croatia managed a 78-77 lead with 7.3 seconds to go. Mario Hezonja made two free throws and Christopher Duarte missed the game-tying 3-pointer on the buzzer. ■
