KATOWICE, Poland – Iceland once again proved how stubborn and determined they can be, and Slovenia needed every ounce of grit to push through. On Tuesday night, the 2017 EuroBasket champions pulled off an 87–79 victory that secured them a ticket to the Round of 16 in Riga, while France also booked their place thanks to this result.
A Battle That Wouldn’t End
Slovenia seemed ready to run away with it after building a 60–46 cushion late in the third quarter. Yet Iceland refused to fold. Martin Hermannsson drilled a deep three with just over six minutes left to slice the deficit to five at 70–65, setting up a tense finish.
The momentum shifted for good when Tryggvi Hlinason fouled out with a little more than three minutes on the clock. Slovenia capitalized, and Gregor Hrovat buried a corner three with 45 seconds remaining to put the game beyond reach.
Doncic Makes His Mark
Even without one of his trademark triple-doubles, Luka Doncic was still the heartbeat of the Slovenian squad. The NBA star dropped 26 points, pulled down 7 boards, and added 4 assists. His long-range shooting was off (2-for-10 from deep), but his leadership and timely plays carried Aleksander Sekulic’s side over the line. Riga will expect even more from him.
Hermannsson, meanwhile, delivered his finest performance of the tournament so far, notching 22 points and 6 assists, eight years after first making noise against Slovenia back in EuroBasket 2017.
Numbers That Told the Story
Iceland’s undoing came from their mistakes with the ball. Eighteen turnovers gave Slovenia the chance to run, and they punished them with a crushing 22–2 edge in points off those errors.
Inside the paint, however, the Vikings held their ground. Powered by the towering Hlinason, who posted 11 points and 14 rebounds, they finished with a 32–26 advantage close to the rim.
What It Means
Slovenia become the third team from Group D to secure passage to the knockout phase, joining Poland and Israel. After dropping their first two contests to Poland and France, they steadied themselves behind Doncic and proved they can rally under pressure.
Iceland, now 0–4, remain winless and extend their losing streak at EuroBasket to 14 games across three tournaments. Their last outing in Katowice will be against France, where they’ll try to write a more positive chapter.
