Montenegro moved closer to securing a place in the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 with a decisive 89-74 victory over Egypt on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Black Mountains now boast a 2-0 record in Group D, and their final group match against the 8th-ranked Lithuania is scheduled for Tuesday.
The outcome of the group hinges on the result of the later match between Lietuva and Mexico. Regardless, both Montenegro and Lithuania will advance to the next round.
“We executed our basketball strategy meticulously. Our aggression in the first and third quarters was particularly effective,” commented Black Mountains head coach Bosko Radovic.
Dino Radoncic established the rhythm for the Montenegrins, converting all five of his field goal attempts in the opening quarter, contributing 10 points. This performance propelled Montenegro to a 27-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Maintaining their lead throughout the game, the Black Mountains only allowed the Egyptians to close the gap to single digits twice, both instances occurring in the second quarter.
Nikola Vucevic reaffirmed his prowess with 16 points on a 7-of-10 shooting performance from the field. He also contributed seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
Nikola Ivanovic continued his strong presence from beyond the arc, sinking half of his six attempts to finish with 15 points. Kendrick Perry added 11 points and seven assists.
Despite Ehab Amin’s impressive 26-point performance for Egypt, it ultimately went unrewarded. Anas Mahmoud and Patrick Gardner also contributed 13 points each.
Assem Marei, who played a key role for Egypt against Lithuania, only saw eight minutes of play and remained scoreless.
Ranked 55th, the Pharaohs will conclude their first-round schedule against the 12th-ranked Guerreros on Tuesday.
The Scores:
Montenegro 89 – Vucevic 16, Ivanovic 15, Perry 11, Mihailovic 10, Radoncic 10, Radovic 8, Dubjlevic 6, Popovic 6, Simonovic 5, Slavkovic 2, Ilic 0.
Egypt 74 – Amin 26, Gardner 13, Mahmoud 13, El Gendy 7, Abdelgawad 5, Aboushousha 4, Hussein 4, Moussa 2, Elgizawy 0, Marei 0, Oraby 0.
Quarterscores: 27-17, 51-37, 70-56, 89-74.
