(Reuters) - Serbia ran out 87-79 winners over Russia in their Eurobasket semi-final on Friday after a superb surge midway through the first half put them on the road to victory in a tough, tight encounter in Istanbul. They will meet Slovenia in Sunday's final, which will be the first time two men's senior national teams from the former Yugoslavia clash in a European basketball decider. After a tight first period, Serbia streaked into a 16-point lead thanks to a 14-0 run midway through the second period as the Russian offence stalled completely. Guard Alexey Shved notched 33 points and five assists on the night, but Russia could not rein in the Serbs, who had a wider array of offensive weapons at their disposal. A late three-pointer from Shved kept the game alive into the final minute, but Serbia held on to book their berth in Sunday's final.

Source: The Star September 15, 2017 20:48 UTC