Filip Petrusev drops 17 points to help lead Serbia to FIBA World Cup semis

Bogdan Bogdanovic produced another 20-point effort and Filip Petrusev put up his best outing of the tournament to lead Serbia to a win over Lithuania in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Bogdanovic recorded a game-high 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the 87-68 victory on Tuesday. He scored 18 points in the first half as Serbia raced out to an 11-point lead at halftime. The group pushed its advantage to as many as 25 points in the second half.

It was his third 20-point game of the tournament.

Petrusev scored 17 points, six rebounds and two assists and Stefan Jovic added 11 points for Serbia. The 17-point effort from Petrusev marked a tournament high in scoring and was his second straight game in double figures.

With the win, Serbia will now face either Canada or Slovenia in the semifinals on Friday in Manila, Philippines (4:45 a.m. EDT). Serbia, along with the United States, punched its ticket to the next round on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.

Serbia is one of four European countries still in contention in the tournament. With two Olympic berths going to the region, Serbia could clinch a spot in the Games for the first time since 2016, depending on the outcomes of the other two games on Wednesday.

The country has medaled once in the World Cup (2014, silver).

Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire