Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina played an extremely exciting Round of 16 game at EuroBasket 2025 in Riga Arena. A place in the quarterfinals was secured by Poland with a final score of 80:72.
Poland finished as the second team in Group D, which was played in Katowice, while Bosnia and Herzegovina previously placed third in Group C, where they defeated Georgia in a direct clash to reach the second stage of the competition for the first time in 32 years.
The phenomenal Jusuf Nurkic made an impressive start on both ends of the court. He locked down his own paint, denying all approaches, and scored the opening seven points for Bosnia and Herzegovina, giving them a 7-2 lead. When John Roberson hit a three-pointer, followed by Amar Alibegovic, the score reached 13-2, prompting a timeout from Poland.
By the end of the first quarter, Jordan Loyd and Mateusz Ponitka sparked a small 5-0 run, but Bosnia managed to maintain the lead. The quarter ended 23-14 after a three-pointer from Aleksandar Lazic.
Jusuf Nurkic bullying people, any hour of the day. 🇧🇦 #EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/bKGL1AmdaJ
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 7, 2025
The second quarter delivered extremely exciting action from the very start, with Jordan Loyd and John Roberson leading a real offensive showdown. Although Poland closed the gap to 26-21, Edin Atic and Jusuf Nurkic responded immediately, with Nurkic scoring right after returning from the bench to make it 32-24.
In the next four consecutive possessions, both teams hit two three-pointers each, but despite strong performances from Ponitka and Loyd, Bosnia and Herzegovina held a 37-33 lead. In the closing moments of the first half, John Roberson hit back-to-back threes, finishing with 16 points and 4-of-4 from deep, and alongside Nurkic, he was the main reason for Bosnia’s 44-40 lead at halftime.
The Bosnian Beast can not, will not, be stopped. 🐲#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/4vJHeGcNSc
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 7, 2025
Although Amar Gegic opened the second half strongly, Michal Sokolowski and the repeatedly mentioned Jordan Loyd sparked a 5-0 run to make it 46-45. The unstoppable John Roberson then hit his fifth three-pointer on five attempts, keeping Bosnia and Herzegovina in the lead at 49-45.
Jusuf Nurkic and Gegic responded with a 6-0 run, forcing a timeout from Poland. In response to Bosnia’s lead, Poland went on a 10-1 run to take a 57-56 advantage. Aleksandar Lazic answered with a three-pointer to tie it back. It’s worth noting that Poland had taken the lead while Loyd was on the bench, riding strong momentum and holding a 62-61 advantage heading into the final ten minutes.
Big man with vision. 👁️🗨️#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/pR7uAK0sky
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 7, 2025
When it mattered most in the final period, Poland somehow gained control of the game, with Jordan Loyd putting them ahead, followed by a three-pointer from Andrzej Pluta to make it 70-66. A bigger problem for Bosnia and Herzegovina came when John Roberson, who had been the best player on the court alongside Jusuf Nurkic, suffered a hamstring injury.
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina’s top scorer John Roberson, who scored 19 today, is forced to leave the game due to injury. ❌ pic.twitter.com/K3xmTJRXEB
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) September 7, 2025
Bosnia’s drop in performance was also reflected at the free-throw line, as Gegic missed two attempts, with the team shooting a poor 7/14 at that point. Poland then extended their lead to the largest of the game, 73-66. Although Kamenjas briefly stopped the run, Loyd made three free throws to push the score to 76-68.
After that, Bosnia and Herzegovina could only score from the free-throw line, making the finish tense just two minutes before the end at 76-72. When Aleksander Balcerowski extended the lead to plus six, it became clear that Bosnia would have a very hard time escaping this situation.
The winning team was led by Jordan Loyd, who scored 28 points, while Mateusz Ponitka added 19 points and 10 rebounds. On the losing side, Jusuf Nurkic stood out with 20 points and seven rebounds, and John Roberson had scored 19 points before suffering a hamstring injury, keeping him out of nearly the entire final quarter.
Their opponent in the quarterfinals will be Finland, who caused a major upset by eliminating Serbia.
POLAND – BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 80:72 (14:23, 26:21, 22:17, 18:11)
Venue: Arena Riga, Latvia
Referees: KREJIC, Boris (SLO), HOROZOV, Martin (BUL), TOMASOVIC, Zdenko (SVK)
Poland: Pluta 9, Balcerowski 7, Sokolowski 10, Loyd 28, Ponitka 19, Zapala, Dziewa, Gielo, Laczynski, Olejniczak 7, Michalak, Zolnierewicz
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nurkic 20, Roberson 19, Alibegovic 3, Arslanagic, Atic 8, Halilovic, Gegic 8, Penava, Lazic 8, Hrelja, Vrabac 3, Kamenjas 3
EuroBasket 2025 – Rosters of all national teams
EuroBasket 2025, starting on August 27, will be the central topic of discussion in the coming period, alongside basketball transfers in Europe and worldwide.
National team gatherings across the Old Continent have already begun, and coaches have announced extended player lists, with only 12 players from each team set to secure their plane tickets for EuroBasket 2025.
EuroBasket 2025 will be hosted by four countries – Cyprus, Poland, Finland, and Latvia.
The final phase of the competition, meaning all national team matches after the group stage, will be played in Latvia, specifically in Riga, with the final scheduled for September 14.
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