Bojan Bogdanovic helps Croatia advance to medal round in Eurobasket

Croatia won its eighth straight game in Eurobasket, beating Mike Fratello's Ukraine squad and advancing to the medal round of FIBA Eurobasket.  Bojan Bogdanovic scored 14 points in a balanced Croatian offense, hitting 5-of-13 shots, missing this three three-point attempts. Bogdanovic is averaging 17.1 points per game, second only to Tony Parker among players who've made it to the second round.

Croatia plays in the Eurobasket semi-finals this weekend, the first time the small Balkan nation has advance that far in 18 years. The win assures Croatia a place in next year's FIBA World Cup.

Croatia tailed 28-25 with 8:20 left in the second quarter when its bench tightened the screws on defense, alternating between man-to-man and full-court press, and went on a 19-1 burst to pull ahead 44-29 on a Bojan Bogdanovic lay-up in transition 2:40 before the half-time buzzer.  After that, they basically coasted to the win.

• Game Report: Croatia 84, Ukraine 72 - FIBA Europe
• Croatia-Ukraine Highlights (Video) FIBA Europe