Serbia's Stefan Jovic (2nd L) passes the ball during a friendly basketball match between Serbia and Finland in Zrenjanin, Serbia on Aug. 7, 2019. Serbia won 95-75. (Xinhua/Predrag Milosavljevic)
BELGRADE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Serbia outplayed Finland by 95-75 at the Crystal Hall in Zrenjanin on Wednesday, in a warmup game for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Both teams seemed motivated at the start of the match. Serbia profited from assists of playmakers Milos Teodosic and Stefan Jovic, while Finish team replied with precise three-pointers.
Serbia built a significant lead in the second quarter thanks to aggressive defense of center Nikola Milutinov, and went to half-time break with 18 points in front.
The guest team made a 12-0 run in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 54-48, but Serbia swiftly got the situation back under its control with the help of Boban Marjanovic.
Finland played aggressively until the final whistle but failed to catch up.
Marjanovic scored 12 points, and Teodosic added 7 points and 7 assists.
Serbia will play another friendly match in Belgrade against Lithuania on August 10. From August 16 to 18, Serbia will play at the Acropolis Cup in Greece. On August 20, they will travel to Shenyang, and then Foshan, China.
