On 13August, in the final game of the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers, Rostislav Vergun's squad beat the team of Romania with a score of 66:94.
The roster of the National Team of Belarus: Artsiom Parakhouski, Uladzislau Blizniuk, Maksim Salash, Yauheni Beliankou, Kiryl Sitnik.
Competitive spirit of the National Team of Belarus to win was noticeable from the first minutes of the match. From the first quarter, Rostislav Vergun'ssquad demonstrated a much more confident and quality game than their opponent. The team of Belarus played smoothly and effectively in the attack, as well as did not forget to work out conscientiously in defense. As a result, by the first break, the team of Belarus played with a score of 26:8.
In the second quarter, the National Team of Romania, surprised by the agility of the team of Belarus, made an attempt to play harder in defense. Despite the Romanian’s efforts, they did not manage to substantially change the situation on the court. By the middle of the second quarter after the precise three-point shot by Darol Hernandez-Zinenko, the team of Belarus was ahead with a score of 38:12. The National Team of Belarus was leaving for halftime, leading with a score of 50:23.
It is worth considering that, the third quarter start was better for the team of Romania, they played with a score of 54:40. Rostislav Vergun immediately reacted to the prevailing situation with a timeout. After a while, the Romanians were able to get close to the points of the team of Belarus getting another 2 points, but the Belarusians returned the situation under their control in time. For the residuary four and a half minutes of the quarter, the team of Belarus allowed the opponent to score only 6 points, while they themselves added 16 points to their score. The teams went to the last break with the score of 70:48.
Given the difference in the score and the confident look of the National Team of Belarus that evening, the team of Romania understood that the outcome of the match was already prejudged. The fourth quarter was held in a calm mode, as the winner of the match and the possessor of a free pass to the main Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers was determined long before the final siren. The score of 94:66 in favor of the National Team of Belarus was fixed on the scoreboard of the Arena-Riga.
Rostislav Vergun, head coach of the Men's National Team of Belarus: "Despite all the difficulties that accompanied us during the preparation period and the tournament itself, the guys proved themselves to be real professionals and fighters. We were able to analyze our strength skillfully and win those games, the victories in which allowed us to continue our way to the dream. I thank all the players for their time, patience, attitude and work done. I wish each of them good luck in the clubs in the new season. I hope that in the coming November we will continue our journey at a higher level and with even greater confidence and desire. I congratulate all of the fans on the win and thank you for your support."
Romania - Belarus - 66:94 (8-26, 15-24, 25-20, 18-24)
The best players of the match in the National Team of Belarus: Artsiom Parakhouski (21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block), Maksim Salash (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists), Kiryl Sitnik (16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), Darol Hernandez-Zinenko (9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), Andrey Stabrousky (15 points, 3 assists), Yauheni Beliankou (6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks).
What comes next for the National Team of Belarus?
For the main round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers, the participating teams in four regions (Africa, the Americas, Asia (including Oceania) and Europe) will play in six “Windows” over a 15-month period.
Qualifying tournaments, in which 80 teams will take part, will be held from November 2021 to February 2023:
1st window: November 22 - 30, 2021
2nd window: February 21 - March 1, 2022
3rd window: June 27 - July 5, 2022
4th window: August 22 - 30, 2022
5th window: November 7-15, 2022
6th window: February 20 - 28, 2023
From February 2020 to February 2021, the Belarusian National Team took part in the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers, in which Belarusians won 5 out of 6 matches and from second place in Group A passed to the next Qualification Round.
In the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers, Rostislav Vergun's wards beat the team of Romania and twice defeated by the team of Latvia, which allowed them to take second place in pool D and win a free pass to the main round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers will be held in more than one country for the first time in the history of the competition. The tournament will be hosted by Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. 32 teams will take part in the medal drawing.
Photo: FIBA
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