Greece suffers 73-66 shock loss to Romania in World Cup basketball qualifier, jeopardizing advancement
Greece's national team threw away a 14-point advantage to lose 73-66 at Romania on Wednesday, a result that will travel into the second qualifying round for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and could derail their campaign.
Game recap
Greece fell 73-66 to Romania in Oradea in the fifth game of the first qualifying group for the 2027 World Cup. The visitors controlled much of the contest and stretched the lead to 14 points (58-44) late in the third quarter, but the hosts mounted a furious comeback. The loss is Greece's second in Group 2, dropping their record to 3-2.
- End of 1st quarter: Romania 16 - Greece 18
- Halftime: Romania 35 - Greece 38
- 28th minute: Greece leads 58-44
- End of 3rd quarter: Romania 51 - Greece 58
- Final: Romania 73 - Greece 66
How the lead vanished
After trailing 16-18 after one quarter and 35-38 at halftime, Greece appeared to take command in the third period behind three-pointers from Kostas Papanikolaou, Vasilis Tolopoulos and Elijah Mitrou-Long. The cushion reached 14 with a minute left in the quarter, but Romania responded with a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to seven (51-58). In the final stanza, the Greek offense stalled and the hosts took control, outscoring Greece 22-8 in the quarter.
We stopped playing basketball. Afterwards we did everything wrong.
Impact on qualification
Because results from the first group phase carry over to the second phase, the unexpected defeat could haunt Greece when they face the teams from Group A. The team now sits at 3-2 and must regroup quickly to keep their World Cup hopes on track.
Key performers
Daron Russell, Romania's naturalized guard, led all scorers with 20 points and was instrumental in the comeback. For Greece, captain Kostas Papanikolaou registered a double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, but the team's shooting faded after the third quarter.
Next fixtures
Greece will host Portugal at Sunel Arena on 5 July (19:30), while Romania travels to Montenegro on the same evening (21:30). Both games are the final group-stage matchday before the second phase begins.
