The Ukrainian women’s national basketball team got off to a strong start in the second round of qualifying for the 2027 European Championship. In their opening game, the Ukrainian women defeated the Luxembourg team by a convincing margin on the road.
The Ukrainian team played its first game under the guidance of new head coach Inna Kochubei. The Ukrainian lineup in the opening minutes of the game was somewhat experimental, as Seraphima Tykha and Yulia Gutevich started from the opening minutes due to the absence of key point guards Daria Dubnyuk and Olga Alekseychik, as well as forwards Viktoria Balaban and Kristina Filevich. Things weren’t easy for Luxembourg either, as they were missing one of their top stars, Joyce Etut, who had repeatedly been her team’s leading scorer.
The game itself started off with few points, as both teams struggled to find their shooting touch. But the Ukrainians were the first to find it—in fact, they went on a 0–13 run. Admittedly, by the end of the quarter, their opponents began to play with more confidence, but the Ukrainians didn’t relinquish their lead significantly (9–20).
As the game progressed, the Luxembourg team began to pick up the pace. They won the second and third quarters, but they were consistently 2–3 possessions short of catching up to the blue-and-yellows. As a result, the start of the fourth quarter was tense, as the opponents cut the deficit to 5 points, but they were unable to close the gap any further. The Ukrainian team began to significantly increase their lead, which gradually grew to nine points and then surpassed the 10-point mark. In the end, the blue-and-yellows won with a score of 52–64.
Basketball. 2027 Women’s European Championship Qualifiers, Second Round
Ukraine – Luxembourg 52–64 (9–20, 16–11, 14–13, 13–20)
- Ukraine: Tykha 0, Lyashko 0, Yagupova 20 + 8 rebounds + 8 assists, Uro-Nile 13 + 7 rebounds, Yurkevichus 18 + 13 rebounds + 5 steals – starting lineup; Gutevich 6, Panchuk 4, Boiko 3, Kulesha 0, Kovtun 0, Kononuchenko 0
The Ukrainian national team will play its next game in Manchester against Great Britain on November 14.
Video: Paul George gave a fan the middle finger during an NBA game.
As a reminder, in the U.S., the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns 122–96 on the road, extending their winning streak to nine games. Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked nine shots in 25 minutes on the court.
Polish basketball player Jeremy Sohan made his debut for the Texas Legends in the NBA G League and scored 24 points in an away game against the Mexico City Capitanes in Mexico City, Mexico. Sohan’s team suffered a 91–107 loss.
