Finland is in the semifinals of a European Championship for the first time in the association’s history. In a clash of surprise teams, the “wolf pack” prevailed over Georgia 93-79 and will face Germany in the semifinals if the DBB team beats Slovenia.
The Finns converted 17 of their 31 three-pointers, which laid the foundation for their semi-final berth. Sasu Salin converted four long-range shots, but the top scorers were once again NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen (17 points, 7/12 FG) and Mikael Jantunen (19). For Georgia, Sandro Mamukelashvili (20) and Tornike Shengelia (18, 5/13, 5 assists) were the most prolific scorers. That changed midway through the quarter when veteran Salin, among others, hit two long-range shots to establish a quick double-digit lead. After ten minutes, Finland had already sunk six three-pointers, making it 28-15. Georgia recovered, however, and showed its own accuracy from outside, but Coach Aleksandar Dzikic’s team couldn’t get a grip defensively. Finland’s super talent Miikka Muurinen delivered some good minutes, and Jantunen was also in full flow. For Georgia, on the other hand, NBA center Goga Bitadze (14 points, 6 rebounds) was in foul trouble. Alongside Shengelia, he was the bright spot of the first half, but Finland still led 57-40.
Bitadze and Shengelia disqualified
After the break, the lead grew to 20 points, but the Georgians did not give up. They got to the basket more often, and the Finns now made turnovers that gave Georgia more easy points. This was symbolized by the final seconds of the third quarter, when Sandro Mamukelashvili stole the ball from Markkanen in the backcourt and reduced the deficit to single digits (71-62).
And the Georgians had the upper hand. The lead continued to melt away before Miro Little sank an important three-pointer as the clock ran down. Shortly afterwards, Bitadze was ejected from the court for an unsportsmanlike foul, which Finland punished with a rare five-point play. Stupid fouls kept the Georgians in the game, but the Finns made the big plays. This caused frustration, and after Bitadze, Shengelia was also ejected from the court with a second unsportsmanlike foul.
Nevertheless, it was the best result in Georgia’s history. The same applies to the Finns, who will now face the winner of the match between Germany and Slovenia in the semifinals on Friday.
