MUNICH (Germany) - There were six teams that punched their ticket to the Second Round of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers on Wednesday night.
Serbia, Poland, Israel, Luxembourg, Austria and Great Britain all advanced, whereas Ukraine missed their chance to join them with a loss to Montenegro delaying their progression.
The next round of games in this window takes place on Saturday.
Key Storylines
Serbia overcame slow start to beat Iceland and qualify;
Poland stay perfect after four games to book their spot into the Second Round;
Teen sensation Joyce Isi Etute stars as Luxembourg progress.
Gameday 4 Highs
Efficiency: Sarah Mortensen (Denmark) - 37 Points: Alina Iagupova (Ukraine) - 31 Rebounds: Joyce Isi Etute (Luxembourg) - 19 Assists: Kamiah Smalls (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Marija Lekovic (Montenegro) - 9 Steals: Multiple players - 5 Blocks: Jana Guska (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Radostina Dimitrova (Bulgaria) - 3
Serbia powers past Iceland to advance
Serbia shrugged off a bad start to beat Iceland 92-66 and advance to the next phase of the Qualifiers.
However, the Serbs had to come back from a 26-20 first-quarter deficit to take control, and once they took the lead on the first possession of the third, Serbia could not be stopped. Ivana Raca led the winners with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Danielle Rodriguez answered with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists for Iceland.
Poland beat Slovakia to seal place in Second Round to move to 4-0
Poland recovered from a sluggish start to beat Slovakia 63-55, remaining unblemished after four games in Group C and booking their place in the Second Round of the Qualifiers.
After trailing for periods of the first quarter, the Poles took the lead with three minutes to play and never looked back, as Stephanie Mavunga went 8-for-12 from the floor to lead the way with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Terezia Palenikova had 14 points for Slovakia.
In the other Group C battle, Romania overcame Cyprus 75-60 in Sibiu, as a 25-2 second quarter that favoured the Romanians proved to be the game-changer. Stefania Catinean amassed 16 points for the victors.
Israel, Luxembourg advance to Second Round
Israel moved to 4-0 in Group A after dismissing winless Bosnia and Herzegovina 94-71 in Riga, leading from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Dorian Sujic paced the winners with 20 points, Abigail Mayers and Daniel Raber had 19 points apiece, with the latter flirting with a triple-double, pulling down 13 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists and also getting 5 steals.
Another player that narrowly missed out was Bosnia and Herzegovina's Kamiah Smalls, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
Israel are joined in the next round by Luxembourg, after they defeated Ireland 85-73 in Luxembourg City, with 17-year-old Joyce Isi Etute the star.
Etute dominated from start to finish as she bagged a monster double-double of 27 points and 19 rebounds in the win.
Great Britain, Austria win on the road to seal Second Round place
Great Britain started hot and never looked back as they beat Switzerland 77-58 in Group D to progress to the next phase of the Qualifiers.
Kristine Anigwe posted a double-double for GB with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 57 percent shooting as the Brits led by as many as 21 points to bag the win. Evita Herminjard poured in 18 points for the Swiss.
Austria maintained their flawless record as they recorded an 81-54 victory away to Norway. Sigrid Koizar hit four three-pointers to pace Austria with 20 points.
Elsewhere, Bulgaria also maintained their winning record by dominating Azerbaijan 120-40, while Croatia earned a valuable 98-73 success over Greece.
Results
Wednesday, March 11
Group A Israel 94-71 Bosnia and Herzegovina Luxembourg 85-73 Ireland
Group B Latvia 79-53 Slovenia Netherlands 87-77 Estonia
Group C Poland 63-55 Slovakia Romania 75-60 Cyprus Group D Norway 54-81 Austria Switzerland 58-77 Great Britain
Group E Ukraine 61-79 Montenegro Bulgaria 120-40 Azerbaijan Group F Denmark 125-57 North Macedonia Croatia 98-73 Greece Group G Serbia 92-66 Iceland
FIBA