Gameday 1 Round-Up: Austria win on the road, Russia make statement

(FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) - Austria clinched arguably the most valuable win while Russia decisively resolved a tough assignment on the opening day of action in the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers. Meanwhile, Hungary star Adam Hanga, Estonia’s Rain Veideman and Russian youngster Dmitry Kulagin turned heads with their individual performances on Wednesday night.

In Leiden, Austria used a superb stretch in the second quarter to grab an 11-point lead over Netherlands and held off the hosts the rest of the way to secure a hard-fought 75-72 road victory which could prove decisive in the Group B race.

While the Dutch controlled the battle on the glass, the Austrians forced them to endure a poor shooting night (37% field goal percentage). Big man Rasid Mahalbasic led the way for the visitors with 15 points, four boards and four assists while Thomas Schreiner added 13 points. Worthy De Jong had a game-high 24 points in a losing effort. 

"We executed our game plan, except for the rebounds," said Austria head coach Kestutis Kemzura. "Netherlands was killing us [on the glass]. This is an important win for us, although we made some unnecessary mistakes in the end. Nothing is done yet. There is no time to celebrate."

In the other Group B game, in Kiel, a gutsy Denmark kept close to Germany for most of the first half in what was the Nordic team’s return to senior competitions after four years. The hosts though switched gears after the break and cruised to an 101-74 win on the back of Maodo Lo’s international career-best 17 points on 6-from-9 shooting from the floor.

In the lone Group C clash in Perm, Russia trailed Bosnia and Herzegovina 35-34 at the half-time interval but turned the game on its head after the break. The hosts' 83-54 win was propelled by the inspirational display of Kulagin who grabbed the opportunity to shine in the absence of injured Vitaly Fridzon and poured in 17 points while adding seven rebounds

In Group A, Belgium out-rebounded Cyprus 51-to-32 and were rock-solid on the defensive end to secure a stress-free 65-46 success, behind a 12-point, 6-assist display by Maxime De Zeeuw. In the other game in the group, Iceland raced to a 26-point lead over Switzerland in the second quarter and did enough the rest of the way to pick up an 88-72 win. Hlynur Baeringsson led a balanced Icelandic offence with 15 points and seven boards.

Portugal showcased their tough-as-nails mentality in Wloclawek and traded blows with Poland until midway through the third quarter but the hosts used an 11-0 run to pull away and prevailed 83-57 as Mateusz Ponitka finished with 14 points and 6 boards. In the other Group D clash, Rain Veideman erupted for 32 points on 5-of-9 from three-point range and Estonia cruised to an 81-62 victory over Belarus at home.

In Group E, Slovenia hit the ground running in Ljubljana to score 64 first-half points and rolled over debutants Kosovo 113-68. Goran Dragic paced the hosts with 22 points and 8 assists, while his brother Zoran added 17 points as five Slovenians scored in double digits. In the other game in the group, Ukraine did their homework early against Bulgaria and clinched a 79-69 win despite a late surge by the visitors. Big man Kyrylo Fesenko registered a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Ukraine.

Playing at home in Tbilisi, Georgia treated their fans to a comfy 86-47 triumph over Albania, who were making their return to senior competitions following a three-year absence. Viktor Sanikidze had 20 points to lead four Georgian players in double digits. Also in Group F, Montenegro cruised to a 97-65 victory at home against the Slovak Republic, propelled by 17 points from Vladimir Dasic and a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds by Marko Todorovic.

Adam Hanga knocked down six of his nine attempts from downtown and collected 32 points, also adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists, to lead Hungary to a 96-77 win over Great Britain. David Vojvoda chipped in with 24 points in what was a fantastic showing by the Hungarian perimeter. In the other Group G encounter, Luxembourg did not give up even when they trailed MKD by 23 points but Vojdan Stojanovski came up with a superb display of 28 points on 9-of-17 from the floor to steer the hosts to an 89-75 win.

FIBA