Slovenia Defeat Serbia to Win U20 European Championship After 22 Years

europeo under 20

Slovenia’s last Under 20 EuroBasket trophy came in 2004

Slovenia defeated Serbia in dominant fashion to win the U20 European Championship, capturing the title for the first time in 22 years.

Playing in front of their home crowd at Arena Stožice, Slovenia took the lead midway through the first quarter and began to create separation in the second. The teams went into halftime with the hosts ahead 40-32, as coach Radosavljevic’s squad found important points in transition, while Serbia continued to rely too heavily on three-point shooting, finishing the game just 5-of-30 from beyond the arc.

Petkovski and Hrabar led Slovenia’s push in the second half, extending the lead up to 23 points. Serbia had no answer, and the game ended 84-65.

Hrabar led the way with 18 points, while Slovenia had five players finish in double figures. Padjen added 14 points, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, while Petkovski contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

For Serbia, it was the team’s first loss of the tournament. Alongside their struggles from deep, coach Jovanovic’s squad was hurt by 18 turnovers. The performances of Sojic (13 points and 8 rebounds) and Suput (9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) were not enough to avoid defeat.

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