The 16 teams who will compete in the Final Phase of EuroBasket 2015 are now known.
On the last day of the Group Phase, there were still a number of scenarios which could have played out to determine who would claim the six remaining tickets to advance to the Final Phase, that will be played in the 27,000-seat Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France (12-20 September).
Belgium was the first team of the day to claim one of the remaining spots, with a 79-71 win over Ukraine in the early game from Group D in Riga. They are joined by Latvia, who overturned an 16-point deficit to eventually get past a courageous Estonian side 75-64.
At the same time in Berlin's Group B, another classic was being played out as Germany heartbreakingly lost a third thriller, this time to Spain 77-76, ending their participation in EuroBasket 2015 and assuring the progress of Spain.
In the second Group C game of the day in Zagreb, Georgia gave their hopes a serious boost by shocking hosts Croatia 71-58. Following a nervy wait, their ticket was finally stamped when the undefeated Greece shook off a tenacious Dutch effort, 68-65.
The Round of 16 fixtures are as follows (all times CET/GMT +2):
Saturday 12 September
12:00 Latvia v Slovenia
14:30 Greece v Belgium
18:30 Spain v Poland
21:00 France v Turkey
Sunday 13 September
12:00 Croatia v Czech Republic
14:30 Serbia v Finland
18:30 Israel v Italy
21:00 Lithuania v Georgia
All Final Phase games can be watched live on
livebasketball.tv (
registration and subscription required; geo-blocking may apply; click
here for the full list of territories and broadcasters) and highlights will be available on
youtube.com/fiba.
Keep up-to-date with the official EuroBasket 2015 app, available for iOS
here and Android
here.
Tony Parker Becomes EuroBasket All-time Leading Scorer
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Tony Parker has become the all-time leading scorer in EuroBasket Final Rounds after claiming the record in Monday's Group A clash with Poland in Montpellier.
The France guard needed one more point to surpass the mark of 1030 total points, which he tied for with Nikos Galis in Sunday's 81-54 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He duly moved past the legend with 16 points as France picked up their third win in as many days, holding off Poland 69-66.
"When I started my career, I never thought it would end up like this in my life," Parker, now aged 33, said. "My career, my plans, I could never have imagined it. It's been like a dream. When you're talking about the leading scorer in history, winning a EuroBasket, all the individual records, you don't appreciate the significance of all the things you win...it's an honour to be in a conversation for the best European player in history.
"You don't think of that when you start. You have all the names, guys like (Toni) Kukoc, (Drazen) Petrovic who stood out in European basketball. It's bizarre to think of someone from France being near number one."
Galis, part of the Greek side that won the EuroBasket title in 1987, featured in 33 Finals games during his career. Parker, who led Les Bleus to the championship in 2013, has now played 62 EuroBasket finals ties amid 150 appearances for the national side since his debut in 2000. And with four NBA titles on top, the San Antonio Spurs guard's legacy is secure.
"Tony is everything for this team," praised long-time team-mate Mickael Gelabale. "When he's not here, we have to give a little bit more. The coach gives a little bit more. How he changes the game is huge, even in practice. You can see the difference he makes.
"Year after year, you've seen him grow up. He's now a father. He's not quite as cool but he's more mature. With his son now, he doesn't have time to waste. He's coming to get something done. He'd prefer to be with his son, sure, but this is really special."
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