Serbia U16 beat Turkiye with a final-second two-point shot

Serbia's men's U16 team defeated Turkiye 75-73 in the European Championship classification game. Luka Panic scored the winning layup with two seconds remaining in Oradea.

The result gave Serbia ninth place after seven tournament games. Serbia led by nine points at half-time, lost that advantage, and recovered during the final possession.

Serbia built its lead before half-time

Turkiye scored the first basket, but Serbia settled quickly. The Serbian team won the opening quarter and protected the ball during its strongest attacks. That six-point difference gave the team an early platform. Serbia extended the advantage during the second quarter. Turkiye answered before the interval, but the half-time margin still reached nine points. That was Serbia's largest break between two periods.

Filip Mrden carried much of the scoring load before the interval. Marko Avdalovic also combined scoring with work under the basket. Serbia reached the dressing room with control of the result, but not the match.

Turkiye erased the advantage after the break

Turkiye changed the score during the third quarter. It won that period by seven points and reduced Serbia's lead to two. The final quarter therefore began with the teams close together. Both teams scored the same number during the last period. That equal quarter did not describe its changing balance. Turkiye moved ahead, Serbia responded, and the teams entered the final minute level.

Serbia stayed close because it controlled more rebounds across the full game. The team collected nine more rebounds than Turkiye. Serbia also converted four more field goals.

A Serbia under-16 player contests a shot during the European Championship.

The inside game supported Serbia's scoring

Serbia converted more of its attempts inside the arc. That difference also gave the team eight more points inside the painted area. Turkiye received less production near the basket. The Serbian team collected more offensive rebounds and second-chance points. Those extra possessions mattered during several short scoring runs. They also protected Serbia when its outside shots missed.

Turkiye held the advantage from the three-point line. Serbia answered with stronger finishing near the basket. Turkiye also converted a higher share of its free throws. Neither team created a decisive difference at the free-throw line. Serbia instead gained its stronger margins through two-point shooting and rebounding.

Panic finished the decisive possession

Turkiye tied the game during the final minute. Serbia then missed two attempts but kept possession through an offensive rebound. A foul stopped the next attack with ten seconds left. Serbia placed the ball with Marko Avdalovic for the final action. He found Luka Panic near the basket. Panic completed a layup with two seconds on the clock and restored the Serbian lead.

Turkiye called time and created one final shot. Kuzey Baysal tried a jumper with one second remaining. The attempt missed, and Serbia kept its two-point victory.

Four Serbian players reached double figures

Filip Mrden led Serbia in scoring and also collected three rebounds. Avdalovic finished one point behind him while adding eight rebounds. Both players supplied assists during important possessions. Panic reached double figures and supplied four assists. His last basket decided the result. Tarik Muratovic also reached double figures and collected five rebounds.

Vukasin Velimirovic collected seven rebounds from the bench. Turkiye produced more assists, but Serbia scored more baskets inside the three-point line. Arda Ozturk led Turkiye in scoring and collected six rebounds. Zeki Guney followed him, while Kuzey Baysal led the passing statistics. Serbia contained their team during the last quarter.

• Filip Mrden: 20 points and three rebounds
• Marko Avdalovic: 19 points and eight rebounds
• Luka Panic: 13 points and four assists
• Tarik Muratovic: ten points and five rebounds

The victory completed a difficult tournament

Serbia entered the event as the defending champion from the previous year. This tournament began with three group-stage defeats. Romania and Poland each prevailed by only two points. Latvia then beat Serbia comfortably in the first knockout round. That loss moved Serbia into the classification bracket. The team answered with three consecutive victories during the final four days. Serbia defeated Slovenia in its first classification game. A wider victory over Czechia created the meeting with Turkiye for ninth place. The last result completed a record of three wins and four defeats.

The opening losses came against Lithuania, Romania, Poland and Latvia. Serbia then produced consecutive wins against Slovenia and Czechia. The final game required a much narrower finish. The victory over Turkiye placed Serbia ninth in the final table. Both teams reached the placement game after wins in the previous round. One basket separated them at the final buzzer. The final position did not match the previous title. Serbia still ended the week with a close win and a completed comeback. Panic's last basket separated the teams after forty minutes.