[9][10][11] There was little to separate the two teams in the first half, with Serbia up 20-19 at the end of the opening period and Croatia taking a 38-32 advantage at the break.
They took their biggest lead of the night, 66-52, when Bogdan Bogdanović buried a three-pointer with 22 seconds left in the period.
[12] Serbia were in control of the game right from the start, scoring the opening eight points and forcing Australia into bad shots and costly turnovers.
It was more of the same in the second period as Australia continued to struggle to find the bottom of the net while Serbia tightened their grip on the game by closing out the first half on a 9-0 run for a commanding 35-14 lead.
Australia broke out of their slump in the third quarter, scoring 24 points but Serbia had 31 of their own as they headed into the final frame up 66-38, with the win all but wrapped up.