MUNICH (Germany) - The final window of the First Round of FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers got underway, as the first tickets to the next phase were confirmed.
The action concludes on Sunday.
Group A: North Macedonia continue perfect campaign; Azerbaijan edge Luxembourg
North Macedonia toppled Ireland 77-56 to improve to 5-0 in Group A and qualify for the next phase. They have the chance to complete a perfect opening round of the Pre-Qualifiers when they travel to Luxembourg on Sunday.
Despite a slow start, the North Macedonians found their rhythm from the fourth minute of the game, and once they established a lead, they kept building on it, peaking at 26 points, as they overpowered the Irish on the glass 54-34, which also gave them 20 second-chance points to Ireland's four.
Andrej Jakimovski enjoyed a double-double, leading the victors with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Samuel Alajiki posted his own double-double for Ireland, with 20 points and 11 boards, but it was to no avail as they fell to 1-4.
Azerbaijan needed Orhan Haciyeva's composure at the foul line to edge Luxembourg 76-74 to leapfrog Ireland into third place in the group.
Kamran Mammadov led Azerbaijan with 19 points, helped by Haciyeva's double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds to go with 5 steals, as he hit the decisive free throw with seven seconds left.
Ben Kovac had 15 points for Luxembourg.
Norway beat Armenia in a high-octane offensive battle
Norway improved to 3-0 in Group B as they polished off Armenia 116-103 in what was an offensive onslaught by both sides.
However, Norway always had the edge, leading by as many as 27 points, despite a strong finish by the Armenians, who were unable to get it into single digits despite being the better of the two teams in the fourth.
Harald Frey was unstoppable for the Norwegians, hitting seven three-pointers for 35 points to go with 7 assists. Justinian Jessup and Andre Spight combined for 50 points, each scoring 25 for Armenia.
Albania beat Kosovo for first win as Slovakia qualify
Albania put together a spirited performance to beat Kosovo 89-82 on the road, helping Slovakia - the other team in the group - advance to the Second Round of Pre-Qualifiers.
Trailing by a point at the break, Albania came out of the blocks in the third quarter to grab the lead and maintain it down the stretch as debutant Breein Tyree led the winners with 25 points and 8 assists.
Veteran Dardan Berisha had 28 points for Kosovo.
Daily Highs
Efficiency: Harald Frey (Norway) - 39 Points: Harald Frey (Norway) - 35 Rebounds: Drilon Hajrizi (Kosovo) - 15 Assists: Sean Flood (Ireland) - 9 Steals: Orhan Haciyeva (Azerbaijan) - 5 Blocks: Multiple players - 1
FIBA