Serbia’s quarterfinal win over Lithuania was more than a victory that helped their campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

It was also a morale booster for the squad that was without one of their big men, Borisa Simanic, after he underwent surgery to remove his kidney.

The Serbians booked a ticket into the tournament’s semifinal stage after defeating Lithuania through their hot shooting from the field, but it was Simanic who delivered a huge assist despite his absence from the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday, September 5.

“Our teammate was still with us and he gave us amazing energy. We were nervous yesterday, especially I was nervous,” team star and captain Bogdan Bogdanovic said after the game, saying that they received some good news from Simanic ahead of their quarterfinal matchup.

“I saw the message from Borisa in the morning, and [it] was: ‘Guys, I’m good. Don’t worry, let’s win tonight,’ and from him just to think about us after everything that happened to him, he united us and that’s amazing,” Bogdanovic added.

Serbian shooting guard Marko Guduric also dedicated the win to their 6-foot-11 power forward.

“This is for him,” Guduric said.

“His condition is very serious. He lost a kidney, and I wanna dedicate this win for him, to him, and we’re gonna keep fighting like this, all of us, until the last minute,” he added.

In their previous FIBA World Cup face-off, Lithuania defeated the Serbians, 99-88, for the bronze medal during the game’s 2010 edition.

Adding more flavor to the victory, Serbia also put a stop to Lietuva’s hopes of entering its fourth semis appearance, while also entering the Final Four for the third time.

Serbia will face the victor of the Canada-Slovenia in the semis that will start on Friday, September 8, still at the same Pasay venue. (ABS-CBN News)