Home joy for North Macedonia, Montenegro; red-hot Sweden scorch Luxembourg

MUNICH (Germany) - There were first victories at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers Second Round for North Macedonia and Sweden, while Montenegro doubled their win tally in Saturday's action.

Sweden were on fire throughout their 129-76 success against Luxembourg as they knocked down 18 three-pointers and shot an eye-catching 71-percent from inside the arc.

It was a devastating display to get their campaign back on track with Christopher Czerapowicz leading the way with 24 points - including five triples - and with Simon Birgander adding 20 points as one of six total players in double figures.

Group F is evenly poised with all three teams with 1-1 records through two games as North Macedonia picked up their first success after overcoming Slovakia for a 69-47 success. Bojan Trajkovski was one of five players in double figures with 16 points as the hosts finished with a 23-5 final period to move to the top of the group, in Skopje.

Meanwhile, Montenegro took control of top spot in Group E as they improved to 2-0 with a hard-fought 79-68 victory against Denmark, who still await their first win despite having battled back from 17 points down to take the lead in the third.

Nikola Ivanovic played another vital role off the bench for the hosts in Podgorica with an 18-point display, closely followed by Justin Cobbs' 16 points as they overcame an early second-half wobble to prevail behind a strong finish.

The Second Round continues on Monday with Montenegro, North Macedonia and Sweden back in action in their respective groups.

FIBA