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Moe Wagner Goes Off

Former Michigan standout Moe Wagner exploded in the championship game of the Croatia Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Former Michigan star and fan favorite Moe Wagner helped Germany secure a big win over Brazil yesterday. The performance and win punched Germany's ticket to the Olympics and was outlined by the University of Michigan in an official release.


Former University of Michigan men's basketball forward Moritz Wagner scored a game-high 28 points as Germany defeated Brazil, 75-64, today (Sunday, July 4) in the championship game of the Croatia Olympic Qualifying Tournament and punched a ticket to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

In the final against Brazil, which won its first three games by an average of 23.7 points, the Germans used stifling defense to hold the Brazilians to just 39.1 percent shooting from the field and seven three-pointers. Meanwhile, Wagner exploded for 28 points, going 9-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from long range. He added six rebounds and three steals.

Wagner was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after averaging 14.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in his four games in Croatia. He shot 65.5 (19-for-29) from the field and went 4-for-10 from long range, with three of those triples in the championship game.

With a 12-team tournament set for Tokyo, eight teams had already pre-qualified, leaving four spots open. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) hosted four qualifying tournaments -- in Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania and Canada -- to fill out the remaining bracket.

With Wagner coming off the bench, Germany won its Group A Phase group after an 82-76 win over Mexico (June 29) and 69-67 victory over Russia (July 1). Wagner posted 11 points and five rebounds in the opener against Mexico and followed with 12 points and three boards against Russia.

Moving to the semifinal round, Wagner got into foul trouble against host Croatia and played only 11 minutes, scoring six points. Despite 38 points from Croatia's Bojan Bogdanovic (Utah Jazz), Germany used a fourth-quarter rally to overcome a seven-point deficit, outscoring the Croatians, 30-13, over the final 12 minutes to advance to the championship game, 86-76.

With its victory and qualification, the German National Team will be part of Group B at the Olympic Games along with Australia, Italy and Nigeria. Group A will feature the United States, France, Iran and the winner of the Czech Republic/Greece championship game, while Group C includes Argentina, Japan, Slovenia and Spain.

Preliminary games will begin on Saturday, July 24, and the tournament's quarterfinals will begin Monday, Aug. 2. The gold medal game will be Friday, Aug. 6, with the bronze medal game on Saturday, Aug. 7.