KIEV (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Turkey made it two wins out of two after a hard-fought 67-60 defeat of Ukraine thanks to a late surge that sees them off to a perfect start in their campaign to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

Turning point: The last three minutes. Having trailed for much of the contest, Ukraine nailed a pair of three-pointers to level the score at 55-55 in a physical and low-scoring tussle. Turkey's point guard Baris Ermis then stepped up with a clutch shot behind the arc to give his team a 62-57 lead and the Turks stayed in the driving seat until the buzzer.

Game hero: It is difficult to pick out a single player from an evenly-balanced Turkish team, but the accolade goes to Ermis as he nailed a difficult long-range jump shot followed by the three-pointer in the home straight, when Ukraine had threatened to force the final twist.

Stats don't lie: The boards. Turkey dominated in the paint and collected 36 rebounds to Ukraine's 25, while they also needed 22 attempts to hit 8 three-pointers. Ukraine hit 8 from 30 shots from long range and also struggled to get to the foul line, making six of their seven free-throw attempts while Turkey converted nine of 12.

Game notes: Turkey got the better of their rivals in a defensive slugfest, having forced Ukraine to take a barrage of difficult perimeter shots as they hustled the home side out of the paint. In an evenly balanced match, the tiny details made the difference.

FIBA