Marko Simonovic of Besiktas, Andrejs Grazulis of Trento and Shannon Evans of Joventut were among the EuroCup players who shined on Sunday. (PHOTO: FIBA)
Continental qualifiers roundup: EuroCup stars rocked on Sunday
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Sunday’s FIBA EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers opened with a thriller in Istanbul, where a pair of Fenerbahce Beko players carried host Turkiye to a 76-75 victory over Iceland. Center Sertac Sanli did the heavy lifting with 10 fourth-quarter points, but that was not enough to get Turkiye over the finish line. With the game in the balance, Tarik Biberovic canned the game-winner.
Sanli dominated in the paint to the tune of 20 points and 12 rebounds for Turkiye, while Biberovic finished with 11 points. Ercan Osmani of Anadolu Efes Istanbul contributed 14 points and 5 boards to the winning effort. ALBA Berlin guard Martin Hermannsson led Iceland with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists before fouling out.
Andrejs Grazulis of Dolomiti Energia Trento was Latvia’s main man in its 64-52 victory over Slovakia. He finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Joventut Badalona big man Vladimir Brodziansky scored 9 for Slovakia in defeat.
Marko Simonovic of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul starred for Montenegro in its 95-70 victory over Sweden with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. He led all players with a PIR of 26 and a +/- of +22.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz playmaker Codi Miller-McIntyre led Bulgaria to an upset win over reigning FIBA Basketball World Cup winner Germany with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He scored 12 fourth-quarter points and assisted on 8 more as Bulgaria outscored the Germans 28-17 in the final stanza to win 67-62.
Barcelona big man Oscar da Silva led Germany with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Jonas Mattisseck added 11 points and his ALBA Berlin teammate Malte Delow scored 10.
Mike Tobey of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade went for 20 points and 12 rebounds to lift Slovenia to an 88-79 win over Israel. He led all players with a PIR of 27. Yam Madar of Fenerbahce led Israel with 19 points and 6 assists.
In AfroBasket 2025 qualifying action, Alex Poythress carried Cote D’Ivoire to a 79-76 victory over Egypt with 20 points and 9 rebounds. He scored 9 points in the fourth quarter alone to ensure his country won. And Shannon Evans of Joventut Badalona scored a game-high 29 points for Guinea, but that was not enough as they fell at home 74-80 to Kenya.