Norway: Siltanews – News Desk
The field for the Second Round is almost set after Romania and Norway snatched their tickets on the final game day.
MUNICH (Germany) – Romania and Norway secured the final two spots in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers, joining Austria and Switzerland in the next stage.
It was an 85-71 victory at home for Romania to lock up the top spot in Group B with a 3-1 record, while Norway had to settle for second place with a 2-2 record.
However, this was enough for them to move into the Second Round as the best runners-up in the Pre-Qualifiers ahead of Armenia (2-2) and Ireland (1-3) from the other groups.
Neither Romania nor Norway could pull away in the first 25 minutes before the hosts finally put the game with a 19-7 run to lead 70-58.
Kris Richard and Stefan Grasu both scored 14 points and Bogdan Nicolescu added 13 points for the winners. Chris-Ebou Ndow had 19 points and Harald Frey picked up 17 points in the loss.
Group C saw an upset as Albania beat previously undefeated Austria 78-67 in Austria for their first win of the campaign. Eldi Hysa led Albania with 17 points and 5 assists and Elvisi Dusha added 14 points, while Imran Suljanovic was Austria’s top scorer with 11 points.
In Group A, Switzerland remained undefeated by beating Kosovo 81-73 on the road for a 6-0 record. The Swiss already booked a ticket to the Second Round in the first game day of the window.
Dylan Ducommun showed his scoring potential with 21 points while Yoan Granvorka and Paul Gravet both had 20 points and Jamal George chipped in 3 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Kosovo finished the campaign with a 2-4 record. Dardan Berisha had 20 points in the loss.