MINSK, 10 August (BelTA) - Belarus beat Portugal 78-75 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European pre-qualifiers in the Minsk Palace of Sports on 9 August, BelTA has learned.
Artyom Parakhovski came up with all the big buckets for Belarus in crunch-time to secure the country's first win in Group D.
After jumping out to a big 16-point lead in the opening quarter, Belarus failed to maintain the momentum. The visitors battled back and made it a close contest, tying the game on several occasions in the fourth period.
Artyom Parakhovski, who stepped up in the closing moments of the game with a couple of big mid-range jumpers, finished the night with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Vitaly Lyutych added 16 points.
Portuguese guard Tomas Barroso was the game's top scorer, collecting all 18 points from long range.
In the first qualifying round Belarus fell 68-78 to Bulgaria on the road. Belarus will host the Balkan team on 16 August.
The Group D standings: Bulgaria – 4 points (two games played), Belarus – 3 (2), Portugal – 1 (2).
Two best teams from each four pre-qualifying groups will play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers.
Photo by Andrei Pokumeiko
