PARIS, France — Franz Wagner scored 18 points and Germany overcame a sluggish start to beat Greece 76-63 on Tuesday and advance to the Olympics semifinals for the first time.
Dennis Schroder added 13 points and eight assists for the reigning World Cup champions, who will face the winner of France and Canada on Thursday.
Iowa State alum Nick Weiler-Babb played nearly 20 minutes during the game, scoring five points overall. Weiler-Babb shot 33% from the field and 20% from behind the arc.
Germany’s previous best finish at the Olympics was seventh in 1992. Germany is unbeaten at the Paris Games after going 3-0 in the group stage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points for Greece, which was denied its first semifinals berth in Antetokounmpo’s first Olympics appearance.
Wagner entered the quarterfinals averaging a team-high 22 points per game but struggled to get going.
Greece led by 12 at one point, but Germany settled in and used a big third quarter to take a seven-point lead into the fourth. Germany started the final period on a 13-5 run to increase its lead to 72-57 with 1:50 remaining.
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Who is Nick Weiler-Babb?
Weiler-Babb transferred to Iowa State and began playing for the Cyclones in 2016. The 6'5" guard ended his collegiate career with 723 points, 457 rebounds and 358 assists.
Later, Weiler-Babb played in the NBA Summer League with the Miami Heat. Weiler-Babb currently plays overseas in Germany for FC Bayern Munich.
Weiler-Babb was born in the United States, but he obtained German citizenship in 2022, giving him the ability to compete with Germany's national team. He was officially named to the team on Friday, July 12.
