'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMpuFV//xAAhEAACAQIGAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQAGBxESIRNRof/aAAgBAQABPwDLNNTS5lttDJCW5+WFotwr8ti3Z7BX7uMXPTGuluVXIkwVHmdgCF94/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMAAhJB0f/aAAgBAgEBPwB1AvEjfZ//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIS/9oACAEDAQE/AIej/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The second set of games in round two of the 2023 FIBA World Cup group stage presented some enticing matchups. The action-packed schedule featured top teams like the USA, Slovenia, Serbia and Spain.
Several teams crashed out of contention to qualify for the tournament's knockout stages. Akin to Day 3, which saw World No. 5 France crash out after enduring their second consecutive loss in the group stage, a couple more upsets followed in today's fixtures.
Today's fixtures were as follows: China played South Sudan, and Venezuela played Cape Verde in the opening games. New Zealand vs Jordan, Ivory Coast vs Iran, Georgia vs Slovenia, Puerto Rico vs Serbia, Greece vs USA and Brazil vs Spain were the other games taking place on Day 3.
Trending
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
FIBA World Cup 2023 Day 4 results: List of winners
16 teams from groups B, C, F and G were in action. Here's a look at all the winners from Day 4 of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
South Sudan pile on China's misery
South Sudan, the second-lowest ranked team of the 2023 FIBA World Cup tournament, handed World No. 27 China a stunning 89-69 loss, ending the Asian country's quest to make it past the group stages.
Carlik Jones continues his fine performances for South Sudan with a 21-point outing while shooting 7-of-15, including 3-of-4 from deep. He also had six assists. China provided some resistance entering halftime, trimming South Sudan's 22-14 first-quarter lead to 44-40.
However, the second half was heavily one-sided. South Sudan outscored Kyle Anderson and Co. 45-29 in the last two quarters to seal the 20-point win.
Cape Verde stuns Venezuela
The third upset of the tournament came following World No. 64 Cape Verde's 81-75 comeback win over World No. 17 Venezuela, who are now out of the FIBA World Cup. Venezuela looked comfortable entering halftime after claiming a 46-33 lead.
However, the second half, particularly the fourth quarter, was an entirely different story. Cape Verde pulled off a miraculous 22-9 run in the final frame to complete a 13-point comeback to seal a six-point win. Betinho Gomes (22 points), Will Tavares (20 points) and Ivan Almeida (18 points) were the key architects of this improbable comeback for the African Island country, the tournament's lowest-ranked team.
New Zealand survives Jordan test
New Zealand survived elimination against Jordan with a 95-87 OT win. The 'Tall Blacks' had no answers for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who finished the night with a 39-point, nine-rebound performance. However, The lack of depth for Jordan hindered their shot at causing an upset.
New Zealand needed a 23-point, five-rebound, and five-assist contribution from Izayah Le'Afa off the bench to complete the overtime win. They outscored Jordan 10-2 in OT after falling behind 28-20 in the fourth quarter.
Ivory Coast fend off Iran
Ivory Coast survived an elimination against minnows Iran on Monday with a 71-69 win. The game could've gone either way. Iran did well defensively to stay in the contest and keep their hopes alive of making a surprise run to the knockout. However, they ran out of steam in the fourth period as Ivory Coast won the quarter 17-13 to get the marginal victory.
Nisre Zouzoua kept the African nation from suffering a shocking loss with a team-high 17-point performance. Behnam Yakchali's 19-point burst and Mohammed Amini's 15-point outing allowed the Iranians to stay in the hunt for a potential upset.
Slovenia prevails against Georgia
Slovenia marched onto the knockouts with an 88-67 blowout win over Georgia. Slovenia trailed by a point after the first quarter, but Luka Doncic rescued them from that position. The Dallas Mavericks star went off for a second consecutive 30-point performance, bagging 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He shot 9-of-20 from the field.
Slovenia took a 12-point lead entering the break, which proved a challenge for Georgia to come back from. Slovenia suffered some blows in the third, but Georgia could only curtail their advantage by a point entering the final frame. Georgia will play an elimination game in their final group-stage fixture against Cape Verde.
Serbia blow Puerto Rico out of the water
Serbia continued their dominant run despite Nikola Jokic's absence with a 94-77 win over Puerto Rico. Serbia took a 30-point lead into halftime, which put the game away for good. Puerto Rico did, however, string together a 31-18 third-quarter run, but it wasn't enough.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Co. maintained their advantage, limiting the Puerto Ricans to only 19 points. Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic scored 17 points apiece to guide Serbia to the knockout as they improved to 2-0.
Team USA make it through to the knockouts with win over Greece
Team USA dismantled Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Greece with a 109-81 win in their second group stage game, improving to 2-0 and qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup knockouts. Fan favorite Austin Reaves led the team in points (15) and assists (six), while Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards and Bobby Portis also scored double-digits.
The Americans again took time to find their rhythm, with the teams separated by a point for most of the first quarter. However, Greece had no answers to Team USA's offensive burst from the second quarter onwards.
USA shot 57% from the field and 41% from deep while missing all but four of their free throw attempts.
Spain overcame resistant Brazil
World No. 1 Spain faced an unlikely challenge from Brazil before they managed a whopping 96-78 win over the North Americans. Spain went back and forth with their opponents through three quarters as Brazil trailed by four points entering the fourth period. However, the reigning EuroBasket champions flipped the script in the final 10 minutes.
Santi Aldama, Juan Nunez, Willy Hernangomez and Alberto Diaz scored over 10 points, majority of them coming in the fourth quarter. Spain went on a 32-19 run to seal the victory they were made to work hard for before the final stretch.
