Iceland seal top spot to advance, Luxembourg keep hopes alive

MUNICH (Germany) - Iceland became the third team to book their spot in the next round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers with victory, on Thursday.

Jon Axel Gudmundsson starred with a 29-point haul to lead Iceland to a 94-79 triumph over Slovakia as they moved to a 4-1 record. Tryggvi Hlinason posted 17 points and 14 rebounds for another double-double with Elvar Fridriksson dishing out 10 assists to go with 16 points.

Iceland had a narrow four-point advantage at half-time, but broke clear with a 36-16 third quarter blitz and there was no way back for Slovakia - despite Vladimir Brodziansky as they now become embroiled in a three-way battle for the final spot.

Luxembourg kept their hopes alive with an impressive 99-89 win against Kosovo with Clancy Rugg finishing with a stellar effort of 22 points and 17 rebounds. Oliver Vujakovic added 19 points, while Alex Laurent and Ben Kovac both weighed in with 18 points apiece as three teams now have 2-3 records.

Meanwhile, in Group A, Portugal recorded a 75-57 victory over Belarus in Nicosia with both teams already confirmed to finish in the top two as they advance.

Diogo Ventura led the way with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while Francisco Amarante top scored in the win with 14 points. Portugal took control of the contest in the middle periods as they outscored their previously unbeaten opponents 42-17 in the second and third quarters combined.

There was also home joy for Cyprus as they claimed their first win in the group in beating Albania 88-66 behind a dominant second half display. Stefanos Iliadis and Nikos Stylianou combined for 41 points to lead the way for their side.

One spot remains in the next round of the Pre-Qualifiers and will be decided on Gameday 6, on Saturday as the action concludes with the last four games.

FIBA