Kosovo hold off Iceland, Portugal recover from slow start

MUNICH (Germany) - Belarus, Kosovo, Portugal and Slovakia were all victors on the opening day of the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers.

Dardan Berisha led the way for Kosovo as they edged out Iceland in an 80-78 triumph with Drilon Hajrizi putting up 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

A three from Hajrizi sparked a 12-2 run in the final quarter, before the visitors launched a late fightback that would fall short as Kari Jonsson netted from downtown in the dying seconds.

Meanwhile, Portugal overturned a 14-point deficit on their way to seeing off Albania with a late surge from rising star Rafael Lisboa securing a 70-62 victory. The 20-year-old sensation scored eight straight points for his side to break a 60-60 tie and finish with 10 points along with 4 assists.

Claudia Fonseca netted a team-high 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting with Albania led by Celis Taflaj's 18 points as they were denied an opening win.

The home side found themselves in an 18-9 hole after 10 minutes but were quick to wipe out the deficit to go into the half-time break level before a tense second half ensued.

Vladimir Brodziansky starred with 25 points to lead Slovakia to a 73-65 success over Luxembourg. 21-year-old point guard Mario Ihring added all-round support with 10 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds to help his side pick up the win in Bratislava.

 

Belarus were convincing winners as they powered past Cyprus 97-41 away from home to lay down a marker in Group A. Starting with a 22-5 opening period, the visitors continued to stretch their advantage and finished with a flourish with 31 points in the fourth.

Vitali Liutych led from the front once again for his national team with 17 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Andrei Stabrouski top scored with 19 points without a miss.

Gameday 2 takes place on Sunday and Monday with four more games, including an early unbeaten clash between Belarus and Portugal.

FIBA