Montenegro edges Romania in World Cup Qualifier

Romania’s men’s national basketball team was defeated by Montenegro, 80–75 (26–17, 23–17, 16–22, 19–15), at Pitești Arena, in a Group B match of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.

The Tricolors were behind from start to finish, but they came back in the second half and reduced the gap on the scoreboard after clearly losing the first half, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The American Daron Russell, with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, was Romania’s best player. Emanuel Cățe added 13 points and 7 rebounds, Ștefan Grasu contributed 13 points and 3 rebounds, while Dragoș Diculescu recorded 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Kendrick Perry was the visitors’ MVP, with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists. Zoran Nikolic added 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Andrija Slavkovic finished with 13 points and 3 rebounds.

In the other match of the group, Greece defeated Portugal 76–68 away.

Greece, the EuroBasket 2025 bronze medalist, is first in the group standings with 4 points, followed by Portugal with 3 points, Montenegro with 3 points, and Romania with 2 points.

The top three teams in the group will qualify for the second phase of the qualifiers.

Romania will play its next match on February 27, away, against Portugal.