MUNICH (Germany) - Three teams remain unbeaten as the second window of the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers began on Friday night.
The action will conclude on Monday with four more games taking place.
Norway stun Bulgaria at home
Norway bagged their second win in Group B by beating the highest-ranked side in the Pre-Qualifiers, Bulgaria 76-67 to move to 2-0.
A strong start for the Norwegians ultimately proved the fatal blow to Bulgaria, who rallied late on, but couldn't overcome a well-organised Norwegian side - ranked 26 places below them. Chris-Ebou-Edow had 27 points and 8 rebounds for the victors.
Dimitar Dimitrov led Bulgaria with 12 as they fall to their first loss, and will look to bounce back in Armenia next.
North Macedonia overcome Luxembourg; Azerbaijan squeak past Ireland
North Macedonia used a strong first half to get the better of a stubborn Luxembourg 79-70 in Skopje and move to 3-0 in Group A.
Andrej Jakimovski led the North Macedonians with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists as his side took a commanding 44-32 lead at the half, only to be slowly pegged back by Luxembourg, who refused to go away. Ben Kovac had a double-double of 20 points and 11 boards to lead the visitors.
Azerbaijan snuck away from Dublin with a 76-75 success over Ireland to collect their first win of the Pre-Qualifiers.
Kamran Mammadov made the game safe from the foul line, despite a late onslaught from Ireland, who remain winless in Group A. Wesley Van Beck led the winners with 20 points, while Sean Flood had 18 for the Irish.
Slovakia power past Kosovo on the road
David De Julius was the star for Slovakia as they beat Kosovo 89-78 in the only Group C game.
The debutant De Julius drilled five triples for 26 points and 8 assists for the Slovakians as they improved to 2-0 in the group, leaving Kosovo at 1-1. Divine Myles amassed 21 points to guide the hosts.
Daily Highs
Efficiency: Maros Gulian (Slovakia) - 32 Points: Chris-Ebou-Edow (Norway) - 27 Rebounds: Maros Gulian (Slovakia) - 18 Assists: CJ Fulton (Ireland) - 11 Steals: Yordan Minchev (Bulgaria) - 5 Blocks: Ethan Happ (North Macedonia) - 2
FIBA