Georgia defeated by Germany in first 2nd round game of Basketball World Cup

Georgia’s national basketball team were defeated by Germany 100-73 in the first match of the second round of the FIBA World Cup on Friday in Okinawa, Japan.

The Georgian team led 22-16 after the first quarter, but their counterparts outplayed them in the second to take the lead at 43:41, before edging further ahead at 70-57 in the third. 

Georgia's centre Giorgi Shermadini told the press after the match the team had played well in the first period but “made a lot of mistakes” in the second.

“We have one more match to play - our opponent will be the Australian team, and we will do everything for success”, he said.

Head coach Ilias Zouros also noted the “bad game” shown in the second period as the reason for the loss and said Germany deserved the win.

"I congratulate the German national team on the victory. They played better than us, especially in the second period [...] This is the first World Cup for us, and we tried to do the best we could. I am proud of my players, they fought against a very athletic team [...] Georgian players proved they can fight until the end”, he said.

He also shared his impressions about the upcoming match with Australia, saying the team had nine players from the National Basketball Association of the United States and was “one of the best” in the world.

“They are very fast and play simple basketball. It is a pleasure to watch them. It will be a tough game”, Zouros said, adding the Georgian team had “great chances” to play at the Paris Olympics next year, which he called “everyone's dream".