Andriy Voinalovich led Ukraine's men's national basketball team to an 85:81 victory over the Netherlands in their second friendly match in Riga. The win comes as part of Ukraine's preparation for the upcoming World Championship 2027 pre-qualification games scheduled for August.
Unlike their previous encounter—where Ukraine had to overcome a first-half deficit to win 90:86—coach Ainars Bagatskis's squad controlled this game from the opening minutes. After five minutes of play, Ukraine established a 13:10 lead and maintained their advantage through the first three quarters.
The scoring load was well-distributed among the Ukrainian players. Five team members reached double figures, with Voinalovich and Volodymyr Koniev topping the list at 12 points each. Oleksandr Kovliar contributed significantly with a double-double performance of 10 points and a team-high 7 assists.
Particularly impressive was Ukraine's ball movement throughout the contest. The team recorded 28 total assists, with ten different players registering at least one assist. This unselfish play proved crucial in securing the narrow victory.
Quarter by quarter, Ukraine maintained consistency with scores of 24:21, 22:20, and 17:16 in the first three periods before a competitive final quarter where the Netherlands outscored them 24:22.
The Ukrainian national team will continue their training camp in Riga before traveling to Croatia on July 30. There, they have scheduled a sparring match against the Croatian national team and an exhibition game against Kuntic Academy—a squad featuring notable players like Nikola Kalinic and Luka Mitrovic from "Crvena Zvezda" who are preparing for their upcoming season.
With two wins against the Netherlands, can Bagatskis's team maintain this momentum heading into their crucial World Championship pre-qualification matches? These friendly victories certainly provide a solid foundation for their campaign.
