Montenegro vs Ukraine

Ukraine arrived in Podgorica on a high after beating Greece 82-76 on 28 August, while Montenegro were reeling from a 101-74 thrashing by Georgia on the same day. That contrast carried into the opening quarter.

Ukraine's perimeter shooting punished Montenegro's defence from the start. Per FIBA's tournament averages, Ukraine entered the contest shooting 33.2% from three-point range — significantly better than Montenegro's 23.4% — and that gap was decisive on the night. Ukraine knocked down 13 three-pointers at a 39% clip, spreading the floor and opening driving lanes for their guards.

Montenegro, missing retired centre Nikola Vucevic (who stepped away from international duty before the season), struggled to contain Ukraine's pace. The hosts fought back in the second half and cut the deficit on multiple occasions, but Ukraine's balanced attack — with six different players hitting at least one three-pointer — proved too much down the stretch.

The final score of 98-89 reflected Ukraine's control across the 40 minutes, though Montenegro refused to let the game slip away entirely.

Ukraine's three-point shooting in the first half created a lead Montenegro could never fully erase. Whenever the hosts mounted a run, Ukraine responded from deep. The visitors' ability to space the floor and exploit Montenegro's defensive rotations — which had been badly exposed by Georgia three days earlier — forced head coach Boško Radović's side into chasing the game from early on.

Montenegro had no answer for Ukraine's pick-and-roll defence either, with the visitors switching aggressively and contesting every perimeter look.

Ukraine's production was spread across the roster. Oleksandr Kovliar continued his excellent form from the Greece game (18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), orchestrating the offense with poise. Maksym Shulga added 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk — despite an off shooting night — contributed across the stat sheet with key plays in transition.

For Montenegro, Yogi Ferrell led the scoring with 12 points, as he also did in the Georgia loss. The supporting cast stepped up at home, but without Vucevic's interior presence and with limited three-point efficiency, Montenegro lacked the firepower to keep pace with Ukraine's multilayered offense.

Player of the Match: Oleksandr Kovliar — his creative playmaking and timely scoring (18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) set the tone for Ukraine's attack.

Ukraine's tournament averages (83.7 points, 18.4 assists, 33.2% three-point shooting) suggested they had the offensive edge coming in, and they delivered above those benchmarks in Podgorica. The 98 points scored was the highest in any of Ukraine's qualifier games so far this campaign.

Montenegro's tournament average of 69.3 points per game entering this window was misleading — inflated by playing at a slower pace than Ukraine. Against both Georgia and Ukraine, Montenegro conceded 101 and 98 points respectively, revealing significant defensive fragility against teams with strong perimeter games.

The H2H record (now 2-1 in Montenegro's favour historically, with Ukraine's first win) shows Ukraine solved a matchup that had troubled them in previous qualifying cycles.

Group I is tightening with three games remaining per side. Spain and Ukraine share top spot on 12 points (5-2), with Portugal (4-3, 11 points), Georgia (4-3, 11 points), and Montenegro (4-3, 11 points) all within touching distance. Greece sit sixth at 3-4 (10 points).

Only the top three from each group advance to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar. Ukraine have not qualified for the World Cup since 2014 and are now in pole position to end that drought. Montenegro's path is more complicated: they face crucial road games in the November window.

Next fixtures:

• Ukraine: vs Portugal (away), 26 November 2026
• Montenegro: vs Portugal (home), 26 November 2026

This was a statement win from Ukraine on hostile floor. After years of relying heavily on Mykhailiuk's individual brilliance, coach Ainars Bagatskis has built a 3-and-D system where the sum outperforms any single part. Montenegro, by contrast, look vulnerable without a reliable interior anchor and face a fight to stay in the top three of Group I.