Bulgarian Women's Basketball National Team Qualifies for Next Phase of EuroBasket 2027 After Victory Over Ukraine

The Bulgarian women's national team has secured its place in the second phase of the EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers in Lithuania, Belgium, Sweden, and Finland. Tanya Gateva's selection defeated Ukraine with a score of 81:66 in a match from the fifth round in Group E, played in the Kolodruma Hall, Plovdiv. The Bulgarians imposed their will from the start, and although their opponent showed signs of life during the match, this didn't stop them from holding their fate in their hands on the way to their fifth consecutive victory in the first stage of the qualifiers. In this way, the "Lionesses" inflicted a second consecutive defeat on the team led by Evgen Murzin.

Denitsa Manolova, who didn't play three days ago, returned to play for our representative team.

Thus, the "Lionesses" continue with a full record of five victories in the group, with which they continue to occupy the top, and the Ukrainians are in third place in the temporary standings with two wins and three losses. The Bulgarian national team players will end the first phase of the qualifiers on March 17 (Tuesday), when they will seek success in their visit to Montenegro, while the former Soviet republic will be a guest of Azerbaijan.

Solid performance in the defensive plan and fast attacks, completed by Borislava Hristova and Gergana Ivanova, led the hosts to a breathtaking opening minutes. Tetyana Yurkevichus was the only bright spot in attack for the guests, but she didn't receive enough support in this regard from her teammates, and the Bulgarians opened a 12-point lead at the end of the introductory period.

The "Lionesses" kept the tradition in the beginning of the next ten, when they looked boldly towards an even more solid lead, forged by Kayla Hillsman and Hristova. Alina Yagupova came into action, trying to set the tone for the Ukrainians to raise their heads. However, our representative team rarely faltered in defense, and this was enough to leave their double-digit advantage intact, to retreat to the locker room at 48:32.

Karina Konstantinova, Hristova, and Hillsman reminded of the power of the hosts during the third part, as their lead took on even more solid expressions. The former Soviet republic began to exhale more and more, and Ivanova and Konstantinova took advantage to win the Bulgarians a 22-point advantage after 30 minutes of playing time. In the final quarter, the "Lionesses" again left no doubt about their superiority and finished what they started.

Borislava Hristova inspired the Bulgarians with her 24 points and 5 assists. Kayla Hillsman was also on top form, scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds. Karin Konstantinova scored 15 points, Gergana Ivanova finished with 10.

Alina Yagupova responded for Ukraine with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Tetyana Yurkevichus finished with 13 points and 9 balls controlled under the two rings.