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Serbia holds off France, will play US for gold

By WTOP Staff

BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer

MADRID (AP) — All those years on Serbia’s national team, and one chance kept eluding Milos Teodosic and Nenad Krstic.

They finally get that shot at the U.S. — with a world title on the line.

Teodosic scored 24 points and Serbia reached the championship game of the Basketball World Cup by holding off France 90-85 on Friday night.

The Serbians will face the defending champion and unbeaten Americans on Sunday.

“We’re not going to be scared for sure,” said Krstic, a former NBA center now playing in Europe.

“Now our confidence is high and OK, we have a chance, maybe some players never get this chance to play against U.S., great U.S. team in the final of the World Cup. It’s an unbelievable chance to do something great in our lives.”

The teams have never met at the senior men’s level since Serbia became an independent nation.

“Every player when he was a kid was dreaming to play in a world championship final, and especially against States,” Teodosic said.

The final caps an unlikely run for the Serbians, who barely made the 24-tournament as the seventh-place finisher in last year’s European qualifier, and then were just 2-3 in the powerful Group A, grabbing the fourth and final spot.

But Serbia has been playing better throughout the single-elimination round. It routed previously unbeaten Greece 90-72 in the round of 16, and then hammered Brazil 84-56 in the quarterfinals.

“I think something clicked,” Krstic said. “We talk a lot in the locker room, and our coach gave us confidence, he always talked to us, he believed in us and something clicked. I don’t have an explanation.”

Teodosic helped Serbia lead by as much as 18, but Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers nearly brought the French all the way back, finishing with 35 points.

Boris Diaw of the San Antonio Spurs added 13 for France, which will play Lithuania on Saturday for the bronze medal.

The French upset Spain the quarterfinals, ending the expected gold-medal matchup between the Spanish and Americans. But the European champions got off to a slow start that couldn’t be overcome even with their 39-point fourth quarter.

“I think tonight the way we played the first half, we didn’t deserve to win that game,” Diaw said. “Even when we tried to come back, Serbia deserved to win.”

Teodosic opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and another basket in a 9-0 run that made it 30-15. He later made another 3 to start a run of seven straight Serbia points, with Nikola Kalinic’s steal and dunk making it 43-25.

It was 46-32 at halftime, and then Teodosic made another 3 to open the second half and Serbia took a 61-46 advantage to the final period.

But Batum and Evan Fournier started hitting from 3-point range in France’s 15-4 burst to open the period that made it 65-61. The French made nine 3s in the final period and closed to 84-82 when Thomas Heurtel made a free throw with 17 seconds to go, but the Serbians wrapped it up at the foul line.

Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 13 points for Serbia.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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