Rap Buivydas of Garveys Tralee Warriors and Jordan Blount of Flexachem KCYMS both played for Ireland in their win over Kosovo in a World Cup 2027 Pre-Qualifier.
Buivydas scored 8 points and Blount 5 in the 91-85 victory.
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Jordan Blount and Lis Shoshi of Kosovo
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Rapolas Buivydas
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Jordan Blount and Malcolm Armstead of Kosovo
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Jordan Blount
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Jordan Blount
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland team
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland team
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Conor Quinn and Rapolas Buivydas
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
FIBA Men's World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifier Group A, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 24/11/2024Ireland vs Kosovo
Ireland's Jordan Blount
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
Basketball Ireland report:
Ireland beat Kosovo 91-85 in FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Pre-Qualifiers
24/11/24
Ireland make it two wins from two in November window
Ireland made it two wins from two in November, with a 91-85 win over Kosovo on Sunday in their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers fixture at the National Basketball Arena. It keeps Ireland second in Group A with a 2-2 record and still in contention to qualify for the next round, ahead of two away fixtures against group leaders Switzerland and Azerbaijan in February.
Kosovo got on the scoresheet first, but Ireland led the game throughout thereafter. Back- to-back threes from John Carroll got Ireland off the mark, to lead 6-2 in the third minute. Neal Quinn, who had a game-high 23 points and 13 points, had a bright scoring period early on, an attempted layup from Paul Dick was emphatically dispatched by him on the rebound to get the sold-out Arena crowd going. The centre added a layup and slotted three free throws to help put Ireland 15-2 up with six minutes gone.
Layups from under the basket by Jordan Blount and Roy Downey and a Rapolas Buivydas three had Ireland 22-2 ahead with two minutes to go in the first. Kosovo had some joy from the three point line late in the quarter, through Gezim Morina and Mikaile Tmusic, to help reduce the deficit to 24-12 at the end of the first quarter.
A corner three from captain Dardan Berisha and jump shot from Morina saw Kosovo get within six points, trailing 27-21, three minutes into the second quarter. Ireland called a timeout and returned with a Sean Flood three. A Quinn hook shot and Carroll layup followed not long afterwards, Ireland were 34-23 ahead.
Kosovo continued to have joy from long range, back-to-back threes from Malcolm Armstead and Rron Ukaj made it an eight-point game, 37-29, with three and a half minutes to go. Dick’s layup had Ireland 42-33 ahead, but four points from Lis Shoshi saw a scoreline 42-37 to Ireland at half-time.
Ireland got off to the perfect start to the third quarter, Flood’s long range three among their points, as they led 47-37. Kosovo responded with a Shoshi dunk.
Flood, who’d scored 10 points in the opening half, landed another from distance, his third from the three point line at that stage. Meanwhile Neal Quinn continued to be dominant under the basket, he gobbled up Blount’s attempted three to dispatch on the rebound, Ireland were 53-41 up three minutes in. Kosovo kept themselves in the contest thanks to threes from Armstead and Berisha, either side of Downey’s layup, it was 55-49 just after the midpoint.
Five points from Buivydas brought Ireland to the 60-point mark, 60-49. A nicely fashioned three from Conor Quinn saw 67-56 in front, with a little over a minute to go. The final minute of the quarter saw everything go in Ireland’s favour - a driving layup from Carroll, Kosovo then lost Armstead after he picked up his fifth foul, while it finished with a buzzer beating three from Flood, his arms outstretched in celebration as he brought his personal tally to 21 points and Ireland were 73-58 in front.
A seven-point run by Kosovo was snapped by a dunk from Neal Quinn, Ireland leading 77-67 two minutes into the fourth quarter. Quinn remained dominant in the paint, grabbing four more vital points, Ireland 81-68 up. Berisha continued to drive his side on, a long range three and three free throws - either side of Downey’s jump shot - and the deficit was cut to nine, 83-74.
Kosovo struggled to contain Neal Quinn he landed another layup, next up was Dick from the three point line and Ireland had stretched their advantage to 90-76 with three minutes to go. But Kosovo weren’t done, they finished with a nine point run completed by a Rron Ukaj dunk, but it was Ireland’s day, winning 91-85.
Ireland head coach Mark Keenan said: “Delighted, we have won two out of two now going into February and now it’s all about then. When have we ever won two games back-to-back here?! I think you’d have to look back to the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, so it’s a great week for us, for the team, at the level we played. I think tonight we got to the highest level we played, but maybe not for as long as we did on Thursday (against Azerbaijan), and Kosovo put it up to us as well, they are tough.”
Ireland’s next games are away against Group A leaders Switzerland on February 20th, followed by a trip to Azerbaijan on February 23rd.
“They will be very tough (Switzerland & Azerbaijan). The lads will be up for it, big time. Next thing we think about will be Switzerland, that’s the next focus - how we can get the win over there”, Keenan added.
The group winners and the best runner-up from three groups advance to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifying.
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 24-12, Q2: 19-25 Q3: 30-21, Q4: 18-27
Game Scores:
Q1: 24-12, Q2: 43-37, Q3: 73-58, Q4: 91-85
Ireland:
Adrian O’Sullivan (DNP), Roy Downey (8), Rapolas Buivydas (8), Sean Flood (21), Conor Quinn (5), Jordan Blount (5), John Carroll (12), James Gormley (DNP), Paul Dick (9), Matt Treacy (0),Neal Quinn (23), Aidan Harris-Igiehon (0).
Kosovo:
Malcolm Armstead (10), Dardan Kapiti (0), Gezim Morina (9),Mikaile Tmusic (7), Arti Hajdari (0), Arian Callakaj (9), Dardan Berisha (15), Rron Ukaj (10), Meriton Ismaili (2), Muhamedali Janjeva (9), Lis Shoshi (14), Erjon Kastrati (DNP).
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers Results:
Sunday 24th November 2024
Ireland 91-85 Kosovo
Thursday 21st November 2024
Ireland 91-67 Azerbaijan
Sunday 25th February 2024
Ireland 63-86 Switzerland
Thursday 22nd February 2024
Kosovo 83-76 Ireland
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers Fixtures:
Thursday 20th February 2025
Switzerand v Ireland, tip off tbc, (Live on TG4)
Sunday 23rd February 2025
Azerbaijan v Ireland, tip off tbc, (Live on TG4)
