Germany won their first-ever Fiba Basketball World Cup title by beating undermanned Serbia 83-77 in a slugfest of the two European powerhouses yesterday in Manila.
Germany leaned on a 22-10 surge in the third quarter, orchestrated by brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, to build a cushion and win the World Cup’s first all-European final since 2006.
The tournament most valuable player Dennis Schroder carried Germany with a game-high 28 points, way above his average of 17.9 points per game, and added two rebounds and two assists.
“This is an unbelievable group... coach did a great job bringing us together,” Schroder told a Press conference. “Our defence and how we play as a basketball team is just special.”
Germany, who won all eight tournament games, became the first team since 2006 to win a Fiba World Cup crown while debuting in the final.
Earlier, Canada bagged their first World Cup podium finish at the expense of short-handed United States 127-118 in overtime in a riveting, record-setting bronze-medal game.
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