Germany shocked the fancied United States 113-111 in a high-octane knockout match on Friday to arrange a FIBA Basketball World Cup championship game against fellow European powerhouse Serbia.
Guard Andreas Obst carried Germany, who have four NBA players in their roster, with 24 points and six assists, including a clutch 3-pointer. Franz Wagner added 22 points while power forward Daniel Theis, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, contributed 21 points.
Obst's step back 3-pointer and Schroder's jump shot gave the Germans a comfortable six point lead with 40 ticks to go, despite a fightback by Team USA.
The result saw the Germans finally get their reward, having pushed Team USA to their limit in a 99-91 warm-up defeat in Abu Dhabi last month.
Underdogs Germany took advantage of the Americans' usual slow start to take a 25-15 lead off a Dennis Scroder 3-pointer with 4:30 minutes to go in the first quarter.
Team USA, composed of NBA players, recovered and engaged in a tit-for-tat with the Germans to take a slim 60-59 lead at the break. It was the highest-scoring first half in a FIBA World Cup semi-final.
Germany controlled the third quarter, taking the lead to end the quarter at 94-84 via Schroder's pullup 2-pointer. Wagner's layup with nine minutes to go padded the advantage to as much as 12 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards led the United States with 23 points.
Team USA, ranked second by FIBA, will face Canada for third place on Sunday.
In an earlier game, Serbia defeated Canada 95-86 by imposing their will in the paint and controlling the boards.
Five Serbian players scored in double-digits, led by Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Serbia lost to the United States 129-92 in the final of the tournament's 2014 edition in Madrid, Spain. The Balkan nation lost in the quarter-finals of the 2019 tournament in China.
The Balkan nation's stifling defence forced Canada into turnovers, and limited their North American counterparts to 15 points in the first quarter. Serbia entered the break with a 52-39 advantage and never let go of the lead.
"We knew we had to set the tempo before the game because if you follow their rhythm, it's impossible to guard them," Serbian centre Nikola Milutinov, who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, told reporters. "We had to make the first punch."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada's leading scorer, passer, and rebounder, was held scoreless in the first 15 minutes amid tight coverage and foul trouble. He finished the game with 15 points, two rebounds, and nine assists, far below his tournament average of 25 points per game.
The 19th edition of FIBA's quadrennial flagship event will end with the crowning of a new champion on Sunday. Defending champions Spain were eliminated in the preliminary games.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
New schools in Dubai
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
