By Stefan Acevski / info@eurohoops.net
Greece was the first team to secure a victory, easily defeating Romania in Thessaloniki with a score of 91-64.
The host resolved the first quarter in their favor without any problems (26-12), making it clear that the Romanians wouldn’t stand a chance.
The top scorer for the winning team was Giannoulis Larentzakis with 18 points, Nikos Persidis added 17, while Alexandros Samontourov had 16 and seven rebounds. On the other side, only Mihai Maciuca scored in double figures with 13 points.
In the same group, another match was played, with Portugal convincingly defeating Montenegro away with a score of 83-62.
The EuroBasket round of 16 participant was led to victory by Travante Williams with 16 points, while Ricardo Monteiro added 13. For Montenegro, Marko Simonovic scored 13 points with eight rebounds.
Ukraine, with the upset
In the first match of group A, Ukraine caused an upset by defeating Georgia away with a score of 92-79.
Tornike Shengelia traveled to Tbilisi for Barcelona the day after the EuroLeague match, but even he could not help – he finished the game with 17 points. Thad McFadden also had 17, and Duda Sanadze had 22. On the other side, Oleksandr Kovliar was incredible with 31 points and six rebounds, and assists each, while Vyacheslav Bobrov had 11 points and 15 rebounds.
In the same group, Spain justified their role as favorites by defeating Denmark away (74-64).
Jaime Fernandez was the top scorer with 15 points, while Great Osobor added 12 along with eight rebounds. On the other side, even Tobias Brahe Jansen’s 20 points and six rebounds couldn’t help the hosts.
Drama in Belgrade
We witnessed great drama in Belgrade, where Serbia overcame Switzerland after a comeback (90-86).
It seemed like an upset was on the horizon, as the guests had a 23-point lead at halftime (34-57). However, Serbia bounced back and eventually celebrated in the debut of Dusan Alimpijevic as coach.
Dusan Ristic scored 24 points, Stefan Miljenovic added 21, along with nine assists and eight rebounds, while Nikola Tanaskovic recorded 16. For the visitors, Alex Schumacher scored 19 points.
Turkey secured a convincing triumph at the opening of the qualifications, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 93-71 at home. The EuroBasket silver medalist struggled but managed to break down the visitors in the second half and secure a decisive victory.
Tarik Biberovic led the hosts with 20 points, while Sehmus Hazer added 18. On the other side, Amar Alibegovic scored 18 points, while Emir Sulejmanovic had 12.
Sargiunas is hero for Lithuania
Iceland achieved a major upset in the first round of Group D, defeating Italy 87-83 in Rome.
Although Achille Polonara attended the match, his teammates did not start well on their path to the World Cup, and ultimately Iceland celebrated after drama in the final minutes in Italy.
Elvar Fridriksson was outstanding with 29 points, while Tryggvi Hlinason added 16 along with seven rebounds. On the other side, Davide Casarin had 19 points, three more than Gabriele Procida.
Lithuania achieved an incredible victory by defeating Great Britain 89-88 away.
It seemed like the host would celebrate, as Great Britain had everything in their hands, but then Ignas Sargiunas emerged. He hit a three-pointer three seconds before the end to cut the deficit to two, then stole the ball and scored at the buzzer for a wild victory for the visitors.
He was the top scorer with 27 points, while Gytis Radzevicius added 16. On the other side, Myles Hesson and Carl Wheatle each had 18 points.
FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers
Group A
1. Ukraine 2 (1-0)
2. Spain 2 (1-0)
3. Denmark 1 (0-1)
4. Georgia 1 (0-1)
Gameday 1
Georgia – Ukraine 79-92
Denmark – Spain 64-74
Group B
1. Greece 2 (1-0)
2. Portugal 2 (1-0)
3. Montenegro 1 (0-1)
4. Romania 0 (0-1)
Gameday 1
Greece – Romania 91-64
Montenegro – Portugal 62-83
Group C
1. Turkiye 2 (1-0)
2. Serbia 2 (1-0)
3. Switzerland 1 (0-1)
4. Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 (0-1)
Gameday 1
Serbia – Switzerland 90-86
Turkiye – Bosnia-Herzegovina 93-71
Group D
1. Iceland 2 (1-0)
2. Lithuania 2 (1-0)
3. Great Britain 1 (0-1)
4. Italy 1 (0-1)
Gameday 1
Italy – Iceland 76-81
Great Britain – Lithuania 88-89