MUNICH (Germany) - There was a triple-double among the huge performances in FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers action on Sunday.
Some teams tipped off their Second Round campaigns, with North Macedonia and Bulgaria the big winners. Plus, there was also overtime drama between Czechia and Norway.
Dimitrijevic triple-double lifts North Macedonia to road win
A triple-double from Nenad Dimitrijevic helped North Macedonia to a dominant 91-59 victory over Austria to keep their unbeaten run in the Pre-Qualifiers going.
The visitors led from the opening tip, quickly asserting control without giving Austria time to find their groove. It ends a terrible window for Austria, who slip to 0-2 in Group F.
Viktor Efremovski led a balanced scoring effort for the winners, pouring in 17 points, but Dimitrijevic stole the show with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in a majestic showing.
Showtime Vezenkov leads Bulgaria to big win
Aleksandar Vezenkov exploded for 36 points, as he led Bulgaria to a 103-86 triumph over Romania to begin their Second Round campaign in the best possible manner.
After a high-scoring first quarter, where Bulgaria led 34-32, it was they who made the first move in the second to pull clear, with the Romanians unable to match their offensive intensity - especially an on-fire Vezenkov.
In the end, Bulgaria's lead stretched to as many as 22 points late on. Daron Russell had 22 for the Romanians, who split this window with a 1-1 record in Group D.
Czechia need OT to beat Norway
Czechia were close to being stunned by Norway, but eventually pulled through 108-97 after overtime.
Richard Balint was Czechia's saviour as he drilled a three-pointer with nine seconds left to force overtime at 90-90. From there, the hosts upped the gear to secure the win against a physical, well-organized Norway side.
Martin Peterka hit four triples to lead the winners with 22 points with Ondrej Sehnal dishing out 13 assists, while Harald Frey led all scorers with 31 for Norway.
Great Britain breeze past Slovakia for 2-0 start
It was a happy window for Great Britain, as they convincingly beat Slovakia 97-72 to improve to 2-0 in Group E.
In a comfortable victory in front of a near sell-out crowd in Newcastle, GB needed a few possessions to get going, but from the halfway mark of the first period, they established a lead they never relinquished.
Josh Uduje paced Great Britain wth 14 points, helped along by 13 from Jelani Watson-Gayle, as all 12 players got onto the scoresheet.
Vladimir Brodziansky had a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds for Slovakia.
Daily highs
Efficiency: Aleksandar Vezenkov (Bulgaria) - 46 Points: Aleksandar Vezenkov (Bulgaria) - 36 Rebounds: Nenad Dimitrijevic (North Macedonia) / Vladimir Brodziansky (Slovakia) - 14 Assists: Ondrej Sehnal (Czechia) - 13 Steals: Multiple players - 4 Blocks: Tomas Pavelka (Slovakia) 2
FIBA