Greece break Dutch hearts with narrow victory at EuroBasket 2015

The Netherlands suffered an agonising 68-65 loss to Greece as they were dumped out of the tournament at the first phase ©FIBA

Greece ensured they ended the group stage at EuroBasket 2015 with a 100 per cent record as they claimed a narrow 68-65 victory over The Netherlands to prevent the Dutch side from reaching the knockout phase in a dramatic encounter in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Dutch team knew they needed to pick up a win to squeeze their way into the last 16 but found themselves 61-50 down with just over five minutes to go.

They were able to reduce the deficit to just two points before a three-pointer Yannis Bourousis all-but ended their feint hopes of a late comeback as the Greeks topped group C with five wins out of five.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the star of the show for Greece, third at the EuroBasket event in 2009, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Elsewhere on the final day of group stage competition, Latvia launched a superb fightback to overturn a 16-point deficit to seal a spot in the knockout round as they beat Estonia 75-64 on home soil in Group D in Riga.

The Estonian team started brightly with an 11-0 run and looked as though they would go on to cause an upset as they extended their lead in the first-half to an ominous-looking 16.

Latvia proved they were made of stern mettle, however, and they produced a stunning display in the third, outscoring their opponents 22-5 to set up victory.

Janis Strelnieks led the scoring charts for the Latvians with 21 points and five rebounds.

Image title — Spain edged Germany 77-76 at EuroBasket after Dennis Schröder missed with his free-throw attempt with only three seconds remaining on the clock ©FIBA

In the same group, Belgium prolonged their participation in the tournament by recovering from a slow start to edge Ukraine 79-71, in which Pierre-Antoine Gillet netted a decent haul of 15 points.

They will be joined in the next phase of the competition by Spain, who sealed a 77-76 success over Germany in Berlin.

The German side were presented with the best possible opportunity to level proceedings in the dying seconds but Dennis Schröder missed with his free-throw attempt, handing the Spanish outfit the win they needed to progress.

Defending champions France matched the performance of the Greek team as they finished the group phase unbeaten thanks to a routine 86-61 success against Israel in Montpellier.

The competition continues with the round of 16, with all matches due to be played in Lille, which begins on Sunday (September 12).