Poland survive Iceland comeback to book spot in Round of 16

KATOWICE (Poland) – One day after prevailing over Israel in dramatic fashion, Poland had the last word in another Group D thriller on Sunday, this time against Iceland, securing a Final Phase berth as their reward.

Poland led Iceland by as many as 16 points in the third frame, fell behind in the fourth but outscored the guests 14-5 in the final stretch to seal an 84-75 victory, climb to 3-0 in the standings and punch their ticket to the next phase.

Turning Point

The hosts went on a 17-4 run between the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarter to build a 16-point lead, 52-36. The crowd in Spodek Arena might have thought the game was as good as over, Iceland however certainly had other ideas.

With Tryggvi Hlinason dominating in the paint, the Vikings used an 18-6 run to shift the momentum and claim an 71-70 lead with 3:31 to go.

Dominik Olejniczak scored with a hook shot 2:11 from the final buzzer to allow Poland to breath a collective sigh of relief and grab the initiative again, jumping ahead 75-73. Jordan Loyd sealed the win for Poland from the free-throw line in the dying seconds.

TCL Player of the Game

Mateus Ponitka was exceptional in the first two victories against Slovenia and Israel, and confirmed his outstanding form on Sunday.

The Polish captain led his team to another exciting night in Katowice, displaying all-around protagonism: he finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. He’s the clear game changer for Igor Milicic’s team.

This was his third EuroBasket game with 15+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in the EuroBasket since the start of the 2022 tournament. Luka Doncic with 6 and Alperen Sengun with 4 are the only players with more such games in this span.

Stats Don’t Lie

Poland raced to a 16-point cushion thanks in great part to their success in giving Iceland a taste of their own medicine: running in transition and scoring on the fastbreak. They outscored Craig Pedersen’s team 18-11 in fast-break points.

The game however gradually changed into a hard-fought battle close to the basket, and the two teams scored 40 points in the paint apiece and, despite Hlinason’s impactful presence, Poland out-rebounded Iceland 41 to 31.

Bottom Line

Poland are on cloud nine, having officially clinched their ticket for the Round of 16 in Riga. They join Türkiye, Serbia, Germany, Finland, and Greece as the only unbeaten teams at 3-0 so far in FIBA EuroBasket 2015, and will face France on September 2.

Despite Tryggvi Hlinason’s double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, Iceland remain winless in Group D. They are still chasing their first-ever EuroBasket win, the ultimate goal in their remaining matchups with Slovenia and France.

They Said

For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!

FIBA