Baku basketball club Neftçi defeated Estonia’s Pärnu 80:67 in the first game of the FIBA Europe Cup qualifying round.
The game was held at the Baku Sports Palace. Neftçi took control in the first two periods, extending their lead to 20:13 and then 22:16, and although the Estonian side tried to close the gap in the second half, they were unable to change the outcome of the match.
For the team coached by Konstantinos Vasiliadis, Shakeel Prays scored 21 points and Elijah Hawkins added 19. Rob Howard contributed 13 points, while Aleksa Stepanović added 10.
The return leg between the two teams will be played on September 30. The winner of the tie will compete in Group H of the FIBA Europe Cup main stage alongside Romania’s Oradea, Switzerland’s Fribourg Olympic, Latvia’s VEF, Greece’s Mykonos and Bulgaria’s Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
