By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The opening day of the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers delivered great action, and the second did not fall behind.
Slovenia was on the verge of victory against Estonia at home but let the game slip away in the final moments, with the visitors winning 94–93 in overtime.
The hosts nearly closed out the game in regulation, but Henri Drell forced an extra five minutes. Slovenia once again had the upper hand in overtime, but a mistake by Gregor Hrovat gave Kristian Kullamäe a chance—and he didn’t miss it, drilling the go-ahead triple with five seconds remaining. Hrovat had a chance to redeem himself at the buzzer but missed, and Estonia prevailed.
Drell led the winners with 29 points, while hero Kullamäe added 24. Artur Konontsuk scored 13, and Kaspar Treier added 11. For Slovenia, Hrovat finished with 23 points, Miha Cerkvenik and Žiga Samar followed with 15 each, while Gregor Glas added 12.
In another upset, Hungary defeated Finland 89–82, surprising the 2025 EuroBasket semifinalists at the start of the Qualifiers. Zoltán Perl shined with 25 points, while Valencia’s Nate Reuvers contributed 16 points and six rebounds.
On the Finnish side, Sasu Salin posted 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni each scored 13.