Azerbaijan 64-79 Ireland
Ireland concluded their 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup pre-qualifying campaign with an impressive 79-64 away win over Azerbaijan in Baku.
It sees Ireland finish with a 3-3 record in Group A and in line for a second-placed finish, with Kosovo hosting Group A winners Switzerland in Pristina later on Sunday.
The Swiss had ended Irish hopes of reaching the second round on Thursday with a comfortable 85-54 win in Fribourg.
Ireland led Sunday's game against Azerbaijan from start to finish and got off to an early 4-0 lead through baskets from Kyle Hosford and John Carroll in the opening minute.
Captain Sean Flood began the contest brightly, his second from three point line helped put Ireland 12-8 up midway through the opening quarter. Their advantage was five points by the end of the first, 21-16, following a pair of Flood free throws.
Ireland's lead was 11 by the end of the second quarter thanks to a five-point run at the finish, Neal Quinn bagging a layup and jump shot, either side of Flood’s free throw. Flood had 16 points by half-time, with Quinn on eight.
Azerbaijan made a blistering start to the third quarter - Endar Poladkhanli’s layup was swiftly followed by a Shirzad Shirzadov three to cut the gap to 41-35, a minute in.
Neal Quinn’s floating jump shot got Ireland off the mark in the third quarter. Azerbaijan continued to make inroads and were within three points (48-45) with three and a half minutes to go in the quarter, following a six point run - another Shirzadov three, along with Kamran Mammadov’s driving layup and free throw.
That Azerbaijani scoring sequence was snapped by a timely Jordan Blount deep three, to see Ireland 51-45 up. Another three, this time from Matt Treacy, helped put Ireland 54-49 ahead by the end of the third.
Azerbaijan got to within six points at 59-53 in the final quarter following a pair of Donat Hall free throws three minutes in.
Ireland responded decisively with back-to-back three-pointers courtesy of Blount and Flood, to put them 65-53 up midway through the fourth.
Rapolas Buivydas made a telling six-point contribution in the closing stages, his third driving layup had Ireland 77-62 to the good with a little over a minute to go, to make it a comfortable finish to the game.
