The Greeks became the first nation from the continent to advance to the tournament in China as they rallied to beat Georgia, while Germany overcame a 23-point deficit to punch their ticket.

Washington Wizards point guard Tomas Satoransky (22 points) then helped the Czech Republic seal their berth as they edged past Bosnia-Herzegovina.

AFRICA

Nigeria and Tunisia became the first teams from Africa to reach the tournament.

Ike Diogu (17 points and nine rebounds) guided Nigeria to an 89-61 thrashing of Senegal as they improved to 9-0 in Group F.

Tunisia also remained unbeaten and qualified after easily beating Angola 84-64.

Egypt, the Central African Republic and Ivory Coast all boosted their chances with victories.

AMERICAS

Venezuela took a step towards qualification with a thrilling 79-78 overtime win against the Dominican Republic.

Also in Group F, Brazil were handed a 20-0 forfeit victory over the Virgin Islands, who were unable to arrive in Goiania in a timely manner.

EUROPE

Greece kept their perfect record in Group L intact as they defeated Georgia 86-85, with Nick Calathes providing 31 points and seven three-pointers in a qualification-clinching victory.

Germany also improved to 8-0 and moved to 16 points in that group with a 112-98 overtime-win against Israel that ensured they too qualified for next year’s tournament.

France’s 83-67 victory over Finland and Russia’s 77-73 success against Bulgaria gave the Czech Republic the opportunity to clinch their first ever trip to a World Cup later in the day.

And an 85-80 success over Bosnia-Herzegovina sealed a historic success that guaranteed them a top-three finish in Group K.

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