North Macedonia extended their flawless run at EuroBasket, beating Austria 91 to 59 on 30 August. The visitors remain unbeaten after six games, with their sixth victory in as many matches. To be fair, the margin tells only part of the story — Austria struggled to find any rhythm at all.
The visitors moved with purpose from the opening tip. North Macedonia pulled away steadily, with their shooting proving the difference. They hit 31 field goals from 66 attempts, while Austria managed just 22 from 63. And here's the thing about three-point shooting — Austria made only six from 25 attempts, a percentage that left them behind early and stayed behind.
What stood out was North Macedonia's control of the ball. They committed 15 turnovers compared to Austria's 22, and converted 20 of 23 free throws. Austria, meanwhile, missed five of their 14 attempts from the line. By then the game was already slipping away, but the visitors kept pushing, recording 17 steals to Austria's 10.
The rebound battle showed another side to the contest. North Macedonia grabbed 37 boards, including nine on the offensive end, while Austria managed 32 rebounds with no blocks to their name. Austria picked up 23 personal fouls, more than double North Macedonia's 16, and that disadvantage showed in the free throw line.
For Austria, this result adds to a difficult run. They have lost four of their last five games, with defeats against Cyprus, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia among those results. A single win against Slovakia in July does little to offset the pattern. The visitors, meanwhile, sit top of the table with six points from six games, and this victory keeps them in that position.