Slovenia cruise to Women's EuroBasket
Slovenia have secured their fifth straight berth for FIBA Women's EuroBasket, coming top in their qualifying group by winning five out of six matches, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
"These girls showed an incredible desire to progress and a lot of love for their country," Slovenia's head coach George Dikeoulakos said after his team cruised to their five consecutive win in Ljubljana, beating Finland 96:47.
Finland had already squandered their chances to qualify for the EuroBasket before the match, and the 49-point margin is the most decisive win for Slovenia in the qualifiers.
The only game they lost was the 70:51 away opener against Hungary in November 2023. After that they pulled together, going on to ring up five consecutive wins in a dominant fashion in Group B, with an average margin of victory of almost 21 points.
Slovenia's top scorer in the final qualifying round was naturalised American Jessica Shepard, who posted 20 points and 12 rebounds. Ajša Sivka chipped in 15 points and Zala Friškovec added ten points. The team were cheered on by some 1,500 spectators in Kodeljevo Arena.
The head coach praised the team's qualities, including the exceptionally good atmosphere, but said that they must stay true to their principles, be humble and work hard to get even better on the floor day by day.
Captain Teja Oblak lauded the addition of Shepard, while saying the team still has a lot of reserve. "I hope we all stay healthy until the EuroBasket, because with such an atmosphere and positive attitude, we can make a good result."
Centre Eva Lisec said that Shepard deserved a lot of credit, having raised the level of Slovenia's game "by five notches", and noted that the team now has depth under the basket and good outside shooters, plays with a high pace and defends well.
Shepard, 28, who comes from Freemont in Nebraska, joined the team for her first official match in the third qualifying round in November 2024 after obtaining Slovenian citizenship in summer last year.
The 2025 Women's EuroBasket will be played in the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Greece from 18 to 29 June, featuring 16 national teams. The pairings will be determined in a draw on 8 March.
