MUNICH (Germany) - The Second Round of the European Pre-Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 continued on Wednesday as results saw Denmark, Croatia and Romania secure their places in the European Qualifiers already.
Netherlands missed out on their first match-point for their spot with a loss to Austria, whereas Switzerland took a big step towards the advancement with two days of action ahead of us and nine more places up for grabs.
Romania take care of North Macedonia to qualify
With a perfect 2-0 score at the midpoint, Romania knew they had a chance to qualify early with a win over North Macedonia. They did just that with a 79-66 success that saw them grab the spot in the European Qualifiers.
North Macedonia parried only in the early stages with Romania quickly making it to a double-digit lead which they maintained to the end. The visiting team attempted a late rally and got to a three-point deficit with less than three minutes left to play, but Romania sank two three-pointers and some free throws to close the game.
Stefan Grasu shot the lights out with 6 made three-pointers for 20 points, whereas Emanuel Cate added 10 points and 8 rebounds. On the losing side, Jacob Wiley gave his all with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
Denmark, Croatia advance ahead of Norway
Denmark solved the riddle in Group G as they beat Norway 79-70 on the road, thus pushing themselves and Croatia to the European Qualifiers with Norway left at the bottom with 0-3.
Norway had an early lead on the home court, but Denmark overturned it in the first quarter already. It was looking like the visitors would cruise to the end, but Norway's 6-0 run put them within a two-point difference. However, Denmark then answered with seven straight points and put the game to bed.
Croatia also celebrate as they're qualified with 2-0, and they can thank Dane Erikstrup who tallied 32 points, 9 rebounds and 5 made shots from beyond the arc. Veteran Milovan Savic was not enough for the home team, even with his 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Switzerland take revenge on Slovakia
With all the teams in Group D being on 1-1 until today, Switzerland took a big step towards advancing with an 85-72 win over Slovakia, a cold revenge for the game in Bratislava.
It was looking like Slovakia would steal a visiting win for the first 15 minutes, but Switzerland's 8-0 run at the midsection of the second quarter turned things around. The home team never looked back and took a 14-point edge early in the fourth and Slovakia couldn't overturn it, even with a late run.
Selim Fofana showcased an all-around game with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists and was supported by Yoan Granvorka's 15 points. Tomas Pavelka recorded a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, and also blocked five shots, whereas Timotej Malavec scored 22 points for the losing side.
Austria beat Netherlands who miss out on first chance
Netherlands had their fate in their own hands coming into the game against Austria with a 2-0 record, but they did not manage to claim qualification just yet. Austria managed to get on top with a comfortable 83-70 win.
That also secured a better head-to-head record against Netherlands for Austria who dominated the majority of the game. The visitors led for just 40 seconds after recording a 9-0 run in the second period, but Austria answered immediately and led by eight at the break.
A strong third stanza powered Austria to the crucial win with Sylven Landesberg putting up 14 points, but Jakob Poeltl playing the main role with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Malevy Leons recorded 15 points and 8 rebounds in the paint but fouled out early for the Dutch.
Daily Highs
Efficiency: Dane Erikstrup (DEN) - 31 / Selim Fofana (SUI) - 31 Points: Dane Erikstrup (DEN) - 32 Rebounds: Tomas Pavelka (SVK) 13 Assists: Selim Fofana (SUI) - 8 Steals: Luka Stojanovski (MKD) - 3 / Peter Kovacik (SVK) - 3 Blocks: Tomas Pavelka (SVK) - 5
FIBA