Paris Olympics: Brave South Sudan eliminated by Serbian NBA duo

The Bright Stars didn't make it. They kept up with the much stronger opponent for 36 minutes but couldn't stun Serbia which triumphed over South Sudan 96-85. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jokic combined for 52 points (30 & 22 respectively), while Vasilije Micic (15 points) and Filip Petrusev (10 points) also noted a double-digit record. Carlik Jones and Marial Shayok scored 17 points each and were the most efficient in the South Sudan squad. In the Olympics quarter-final, Serbia will face Australia.

The fact that Serbia needed a victory to secure a place in the second pot before the quarter-final draw was bad news for South Sudan since the eventual defeat meant the elimination of the Bright Stars. The European national team was a firm favourite ahead of tonight's clash, though recent results - the triumph over Puerto Rico and the friendly-match performance against the USA - boosted South Sudan's confidence. Interestingly, the two national teams were in the same group at last year's World Cup as well, and Serbia won their first and only match, 115-83.

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South Sudan opened the game by playing a very strong defence, especially against Serbian captain Bogdan Bogdanovic. Nikola Jokic on one and Carlik Jones - who'll, interestingly, play at the Serbian club Partizan next season - on the other side were in charge of their teams' plays. The Bright Stars' aggressive defence and double-teaming Jokic paid off and resulted in the 18-15 lead with two and a half minutes to play in the first quarter, mainly due to an excellent three-point shot (3/5). However, the Eagles managed to end the first period with a 23-22 lead, thanks to the current NBA MVP Jokic (6 points & 5 rebounds) and Filip Petrusev, who was the most efficient in both teams with eight points.

Halfway through the second quarter, Serbia took the first more convincing lead (34-25) after a 9-0 series, while South Sudan boss Royal Ivey's technical foul didn't help either. The Bright Stars managed to bounce back with an outstanding three-point percentage (60%). In the end, Serbia had a three-point lead at the break (47-44), with Jokic (14 points & 8 rebounds) and Bogdanovic (12 points) as scoring leaders. On the other hand, Jones, with 10 points (7 assists) and Kuol, with nine, led South Sudan.

The battle continued after the break. The Eagles' NBA duo kept Serbia in the lead, while South Sudan mainly relied on Marial Shayok's superb three-point shot and offensive rebounding since the rival's defence on Jones was much stronger. However, after the third period, the game was still open, with Serbia having only a five-point advantage, 72-67. Jokic already had a double-double - 20 points and 10 rebounds at that point.

With less than five minutes to play, Serbia took the first double-digit lead at the game, 85-74, after Bogdanovic and Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic scored several three-pointers. That turned out to be the breaking point, after which South Sudan couldn't bounce back. The Serbian advantage kept going up, reaching even +17 (91-74). The final result, 96-85, was not enough for the African team to advance from the group, while Serbia secured the quarter-final and scheduled a clash against Australia.