Ireland's EuroBasket qualification hopes end with defeat to North Macedonia

Sean Flood played a captain’s role with 14 points and 9 assists. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Ireland’s chances of progression to the next round of FIBA EuroBasket 2029 qualifying ended in Skopje on Thursday night, as unbeaten Group A top seeds North Macedonia ran out 77-56 winners on a humid night at Lazar Lecic Sports Hall.

Sam Alajiki had a double-double of a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, but big performances from Andrej Jakimovski and Viktor Efremovski proved to be too much for the visitors. Sean Flood played a captain’s role with 14 points and 9 assists, while Ben Stevens added eight points from the post on his competitive debut for Ireland.