MUNICH (Germany) - The first window of the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers concluded on Sunday with six teams still unscathed.
Norway and Kosovo started their campaigns with victories, with Luxembourg and North Macedonia both unbeaten after two games.
Frey the star as Norway get off to winning start
Harald Frey guided Norway to a 74-62 victory in Armenia as they got off to a winning start in Group B. Frey would lead the victors with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists as his side finally broke clear in the fourth quarter, where Armenia were ambushed.
With Armenia leading 51-49 going into the final period, Norway launched into a 9-0 run to take control, and despite a response from the hosts, it wasn't enough as the Nordic side withstood the pressure and came away with an opening group win.
Andre Spight led all scorers for Armenia with 30 points, but they fell to 0-2.
North Macedonia improve to 2-0 with win in Ireland
North Macedonia were able to leave Dublin with an 88-76 win over Ireland in a gruelling battle in Group A to keep them unbeaten and drop their opponents to 0-2.
In a close encounter throughout, veteran Vojdan Stojanovski stuck the dagger into the Irish fans with a three-pointer from the wing with 1:16 to go to give them an 82-74 lead. From there, Ireland could find no way back into the tie.
Andrej Jakimovski led North Macedonia with 26 points. Samuel Alajiki had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Ireland.
Luxembourg edge out Azerbaijan
Luxembourg collected their second win of the first window after beating Azerbaijan 95-90 in Baku. Despite never trailing, the visitors could never properly shake off their counterparts, even though they led by as many as 23 points.
And late in the fourth quarter, the hosts made a desperate attempt to stage a comeback, getting to within single digits in the final minutes, but Luxembourg hung on to improve to 2-0 in Group A.
Ben Kovac was again the crown jewel for Luxembourg, leading them with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Philippe Gutenkouf added 20, as he went 4-for-6 from three-point range. Wesley Van Beck shot 55 percent from the floor to have 29 for Azerbaijan.
Kosovo power past Albania, thanks to Berisha's 35
Kosovo began their EuroBasket Pre-Qualifiers campaign with a convincing 99-84 win over Albania in Group B. The Kosovans took an early double-digit lead after the first quarter and never looked back, leading from start to finish.
Dardan Berisha led all scorers with 35 points for Kosovo, as he buried seven triples in his haul. He also dished out 6 assists. Juljan Hamati paced Albania with 19 points but drop to 0-2.
Daily Highs
Efficiency: Ben Kovac (Luxembourg) - 36 Points: Dardan Berisha (Kosovo) - 35 Rebounds: Yura Melikyan (Armenia) - 18 Assists: Eldi Hysa (Albania) - 9 Steals: Multiple players - 3 Blocks: Multiple players - 2
FIBA