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Fotu helps New Zealand eliminate Philippines in qualifier

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New Zealand’s Isaac Fotu drove to the basket against the Philippines.

Canada, Serbia and Greece all clinched semifinal berths today in the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments that determine the final spots in the men’s basketball field.

Cory Joseph of the Toronto Raptors scored 13 points as the Canadians beat Senegal 58-55 to improve to 2-0 in Group A of the Manila, Philippines, tournament. Canada will face the loser of Thursday’s France-New Zealand game in the semifinals.

New Zealand eliminated the host Philippines in an 89-80 win. Former University of Hawaii player Isaac Fotu scored 17 points in the win. He shot 6-for-10 from the field and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Tai Webster had 25 points and 11 rebounds for New Zealand in its opener. Corey Webster, his brother, added 23 points.

Serbia also improved to 2-0 in the tournament it is hosting in Belgrade by beating Angola 83-60. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets finished with 17 points and six rebounds for the 2014 Basketball World Cup silver medalists. Serbia will play the Czech Republic in one semifinal, while unbeaten Latvia will face Puerto Rico.

Greece beat Mexico 86-70 in a game that determined first place in Group A in Turin, Italy. Mexico will play host Italy in one semifinal, while the Greeks will face Croatia. Croatia advanced with a 72-52 win over Tunisia. Bojan Bogdanovic of the Brooklyn Nets scored 25 points as Croatia locked up second place in Group B. Dario Saric, a former lottery pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, added 11 points and nine rebounds.

The winners of the three tournaments get the final berths in Rio.

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