Montenegro Women’s Basketball Team Heads to Baku for Key Match

Montenegro’s women’s basketball team has embarked on a crucial journey to Baku, Azerbaijan, following their recent match against Ukraine. The team arrived in Istanbul after a flight from Podgorica and has now reached the capital of Azerbaijan, where they held a training session ahead of their upcoming game. Tomorrow, they will face Azerbaijan, a team considered the underdog in Group H, as part of the second round of qualifications for Eurobasket.

Azerbaijan opened this qualification cycle with a significant defeat at home, losing to Bulgaria by a staggering margin of 93 points. This loss highlights Azerbaijan’s historical struggles in securing a spot at the European Championships, making their chances of advancing slim. Montenegro’s journey to Baku has certainly presented its own challenges, but the team is poised to achieve their first victory in these qualifiers.

The center of the Montenegrin national team, Maja Bigović, commented on the arduous travel, stating, “The journey was long and tiring, but we completed our training and prepared as best as we could for the game.” Azerbaijan’s qualification to this stage, thanks to a new system implemented by FIBA, has allowed lower-ranked teams to participate, but their performance thus far has not shown promise against stronger opponents.

With a recent loss to Ukraine at home still fresh in their minds, Montenegro is taking this opportunity to regroup. Bigović emphasized the importance of the upcoming match, saying, “Azerbaijan is by far the weakest team in the group. We came here to play our best and get into the right rhythm following our loss to Ukraine.” Their focus now extends beyond Azerbaijan, with an eye towards a significant fixture against Bulgaria in Botevgrad on November 18, 2024.

In their first match against Ukraine, Montenegro suffered from poor shooting performance, notably making just 3 out of 24 attempts from three-point range. Bigović acknowledged the need to improve, stating, “We had the desire and fought for the rebounds, but our shooting let us down. In the second half, we made some bad decisions, but the experience of the Ukrainian players certainly played a role.”

As they prepare for the match against Azerbaijan, the Montenegrin team is looking to build momentum. Bigović noted, “We will watch the video to identify where we went wrong, and we need to use this game to build our confidence for tougher opponents.”

After the match in Baku, the team will fly to Sofia and then travel to Botevgrad, where they will conclude the first qualifying window against Bulgaria. Last year, the Montenegrin men’s team secured their spot in Eurobasket with a victory in Botevgrad, and the women’s team hopes to replicate that success. A win would be crucial for their morale following the disappointing start against Ukraine.

The players are determined to turn around their fortunes in this qualification campaign, with an emphasis on teamwork and resilience as they face the challenges ahead.