The Bulgarian national team suffered its first defeat in the Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. In the sixth round match, the leaders of the group, Ukraine, lost to the Montenegrin national team.
In the last match of the first round of qualifying for EuroBasket 2027, Group E, the national teams of Montenegro and Bulgaria met. The teams approached the head-to-head confrontation against the backdrop of an early exit to the next round of qualification.
How did the match between the national teams of Montenegro and Bulgaria go?
- In the first quarter, the Montenegrin team took the lead, scoring nine points more than their opponents after 10 minutes — 27:18. And in the second quarter, the Montenegrins increased their lead to 11 points.
- The Bulgarian national team seized the initiative in the match after the break and reduced its deficit to nine points in the third quarter. And in the decisive, fourth 10-minute period, the Bulgarian basketball players reduced the advantage of their opponents by another three points.
- Despite this, Montenegro still held on to the lead in the match and handed Bulgaria their first defeat in European Championship qualifying.
- The most productive player of the match was the center of the Bulgarian national team, Haaliya Hillsman, who had 23 points.
EuroBasket 2027 Qualification. First Round. 6th Round
Montenegro — Bulgaria 70:66 (27:18, 16:14, 15:17, 12:17)
Despite the victory over the Bulgarian national team, Montenegro remained in second place in Group E. The Bulgarian national team completed the first round of qualification for EuroBasket 2027, scoring 11 points, while Montenegro scored 10.
Standings
- Bulgaria — 11 points (6 matches), +208 (point difference)
- Montenegro — 10 (6), +113
- Ukraine — 9 (6), +34
- Azerbaijan — 6 (6), -356