Georgia stuns France to reach EuroBasket quarterfinals, Slovenia and Poland also advance

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Georgia advanced to the quarterfinals at the EuroBasket tournament for the first time with a dominant 80-70 win against France on Sunday.

France was runner-up to Spain in the 2022 final but both teams failed to reach the quarterfinal stage this time. Georgia will face Finland, which knocked out Nikola Jokic’s Serbia side on Saturday.

Georgia's players sprinted off the bench at the end of the round-of-16 match, hugging and jumping up and down as their fans banged drums and danced in the crowd in Riga, Latvia.

“Unbelievable. I’m really happy, congrats to my teammates, everyone, all our fans in Georgia and here," Georgia veteran Giorgi Shermadini said. "France are amazing, but today we played better in defense and offense.”

Olympic silver medalist France made only six of its 36 3-pointer attempts for a paltry average of 17% while Georgia scored from over half of its 3-pointers and punished France for frequently fouling by scoring 20 of 24 free throws.

Georgia led by one point at halftime and by nine early into the fourth quarter, with Barcelona forward Tornike Shengelia's blend of athleticism and raw power pressuring France's inexperienced defense.

France's scrappy offense failed to get Guerschon Yabusele — who scored 36 points against Poland during the group stage — into enough open play and he was too often pushed out wide.

Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 NBA draft pick last year, found some form as France dragged itself back into the game and, with three minutes left, the score was 68-68.

But France's wastefulness from 3-pointers ultimately proved costly as Les Bleus could not get on a run.

Shengelia was inspirational for Georgia with 24 points and eight rebounds, while American-born Kamar Baldwin also scored 24 for Georgia, which beat Spain during the group stage.

“We never stopped fighting, believing,” Shengelia said. “I want to thank the people who came this far to Riga to support us, we felt the extra energy.”

Point guard Sylvain Francisco top-scored with 14 points for France. Yabusele was restricted to 12 points and Risacher mustered only seven.

France coach Frédéric Fauthoux was without NBA star Victor Wembanyama — who has been dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder — and key veterans like Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier.

Ultimately, Wembanyama’s absence combined with a new coach and new players proved too much.

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić scored 42 points and had 10 rebounds as Slovenia held off a fourth-quarter surge from Italy to win 84-77 and set up a quarterfinal match against World Cup winner Germany.

Slovenia led 29-11 at the end of the first quarter and Dončić reached 30 points by halftime — the fourth time this tournament that the star has scored at least 30 points in a game.

But Italy staged a stunning comeback and moved within one point of Slovenia with just under two minutes left.

Typically, the ice-cool Dončić then twice made both of his free throws to pass 40 points and keep Italy out of reach.

Shooting guard Jordan Loyd scored 28 points and forward Mateusz Ponitka had 19 points and 11 rebounds as Poland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 80-72 to set up a quarterfinal against Turkey.

Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkić again led Bosnia and Herzegovina with 20 points and seven rebounds.

In the last round-of-16 match, Greece — which eliminated defending champion Spain in the group stage — beat Israel 84-79 to set up a quarterfinal match against three-time champion Lithuania.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo put in another dominating performance with 37 points and 10 rebounds.

The quarterfinals will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo scores during the Eurobasket, European Basketball Championship round of 16 match between Greece and Israel at the Riga Arena in Riga, Latvia, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Slovenia's Luka Doncic tries to shoot while defended by Italy's Simone Fontecchio during the Eurobasket, European Basketball Championship round of 16 match between Italy and Slovenia at the Riga Arena in Riga, Latvia, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Bosnia's Jusuf Nurkic, left, and Poland's Jordan Loyd in action during the Eurobasket, European Basketball Championship round of 16 match between Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Riga Arena in Riga, Latvia, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

France's Zaccharie Risacher, centre, drives between Georgia's Tornike Shengelia, left, and Georgia's Giorgi Ochkhikidze during the Eurobasket, European Basketball Championship round of 16 match between France and Georgia at the Riga Arena in Riga, Latvia, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Georgia's Tornike Shengelia, left, goes to score as Bosnia's Adin Vrabac, bottom right, and Edin Atic defend during the Eurobasket, European Basketball Championship Group C match between Bosnia and Georgia at Spyros Kyprianou Arena, in Limassol, Cyprus, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakis Savvides)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen won the Australian Open for his first major professional title Sunday when his scrambled par on the final hole crushed the hopes of hometown favorite Cam Smith who was chasing his first win in more than two years.

Smith and Neergaard-Peterson came to the 72nd hole tied at 15-under after a thrilling contest over the last nine holes. Neergaard Petersen shanked his drive into difficult rough on the right with a bunker between his ball and the green.

Smith found the green with his second but with a long, sloping putt to the hole. Matter of fact as he has been throughout the week, Neergaard got up and down for par while Smith missed his difficult putt for birdie, then a 1.5 meter return putt to force a playoff.

The 26-year-old Danish player won by a single shot at 15-under 269 after rounds of 67, 66, 66 and 70. Smith started the last round two shots behind the leader, drew level by the turn and led outright after sinking a three meter put for birdie on the 10th hole.

After a birdie at the 11th, Smith bogeyed the 12th and was level with Neergaard-Petersen at 13 under. The pair stayed locked together until the final hole when Smith's missed par putt handled his opponent a career-changing victory.

“It’s hard. I’m really at a loss for words. It’s been a battle all day,” Neergaard said. “Even from the outside, you can look calm but it was a storm inside (for me) all day.

“But I managed to keep battling and to get it up and down to make that putt on the last. I don’t know what to say, to be honest.”.

Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended his streak of missing seven consecutive cuts this year on Friday, shot 66 Saturday and was tied for second, two strokes off the lead.

After all his missed cuts, Smith, said that it was “nice being in contention” entering the final round.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling to be honest,” he said. “I love that it’s the Australian Open. I couldn’t think of a better place to get back into form. It would shut a few people up.”

Smith has won the Australian PGA twice but has yet to win the Stonehaven Cup as the champion of his national open.

His last tournament victory came at the LIV tournament in Bedminster, England in August 2022 and his previous top-10 finish was in July.

Rory McIlroy's 11 bogeys over four days, including an unfortunate encounter with a banana peel on Saturday, kept him out of contention. On Sunday, the Northern Irishman had a final round 69, with five birdies and three bogeys, to finish in a tie for 10th.

McIlroy, the Race to Dubai winner and who completed his career Grand Slam when he won the Masters this year, was naking his first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015. He won it in 2013.

Speaking after his final round Sunday, the world No. 2 called for a more favorable schedule to attract more of the game's top players.

While he thought the sandbelt courses held massive appeal, the scheduling didn’t help the tournament attract the top overseas players.

“I obviously would love to have a few more players come down and play, but it’s hard with three tournaments going on in the schedule this week,” said McIlroy referring to the schedule clash with Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas and the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

"There need to be conversations had with people much more important than me that set the schedules, and hopefully the Australian Open can find a date that accommodates everyone and everyone can at least have the option to come down.”

“People seeing the scenes here on TV…it’ll definitely pique their interest,” he said.

The winner of the Australian Open, which is the second event on the European tour’s new schedule of tournaments for late this year and 2026, receives a Masters exemption next year. And the top three finishers not already exempt — Michael Hollick, Adam Scott and Si Woo Kim — have qualified for the British Open in 2026 at Royal Birkdale.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, left, speaks to Matt McCarty of the U.S., right, during the fourth round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Australia's Cameron Smith watched his putt on the 14th during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, left, plays from the rough on the 18th green as his caddy Brian Nilsson watches during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen holds the Stonehaven Cup after winning the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)