How Indiana's Aleksa Ristic Performed in Serbia's Quarterfinal Game vs. Spain in FIBA U20 EuroBasket

Indiana men's basketball freshman guard Aleksa Ristic had a difficult shooting day but came to life in the fourth quarter as Serbia topped Spain on Thursday.

Indiana men's basketball freshman guard Aleksa Ristic scored 12 points in Serbia's Round of 8 win over Spain on Thursday. | Photo Credit: FIBA Basketball

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana men's basketball freshman guard Aleksa Ristic hit his stride in the fourth quarter and propelled Serbia to a 76-66 comeback victory over Spain on Thursday in the FIBA Under-20 EuroBasket in Greece.

Ristic finished with 12 points, five assists and one turnover in 36 minutes. With the victory, Serbia advances to the U20 semifinals and will play Italy on Saturday for a chance to compete for a championship.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Ristic had a difficult shooting day, connecting on just 2 of 11 attempts from the floor in 36 minutes. He was 0-for-4 shooting inside the arc and made just 2 of 7 tries from 3-point range, but he went a perfect 6-for-6 shooting at the foul stripe.

Though Ristic struggled with efficiency, he came to life in the fourth quarter.

Serbia, which started the day 4-0 in the tournament, trailed by four points entering the final frame. Ristic scored Serbia's first points of the quarter on a 3-point jumper, and he made another triple to push Serbia's lead to five points with just over five minutes remaining.

Toss in a pair of free throws inside of two minutes remaining, and eight of Ristic's 12 points -- along with his only two field goals of the game -- came in the fourth quarter. Ristic also dished two assists in the final frame, one of which resulted in a go-ahead 3-pointer from teammate Luka Savanovic.

For the tournament, Ristic is averaging 13 points, seven assists and 2.2 turnovers per game. However, he's shooting only 36.8% from the field and 20.7% on 3-pointers, though he's made 17 of 19 free throws.

The Nis, Serbia, native will report to Bloomington to begin his college career once the FIBA U-20 EuroBasket tournament ends -- which, with Thursday's win, cements the Serbian National Team as a participant through Sunday's championship and third-place games.

No time has been set for Serbia's tip-off Saturday against Italy.

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