Bulgaria confirmed their position at the summit of EuroBasket by beating Romania 103-86 in Bucharest on Friday evening. The visitors finished strong in all four quarters, and the Romanian defence could not contain them once the visitors found their rhythm. The scoreline tells only part of the story — Bulgaria controlled the tempo from the opening tip-off and never let Romania back into the contest.
The result moves Bulgaria further clear at the top of the table with three wins from four games. Romania, meanwhile, drop further behind with a fourth defeat in their opening campaign. The gap between the two sides is now decisive, and the visitors are in control of the tie in terms of qualification prospects.
Shooting was the difference. Bulgaria hit 38 of 82 field goals and added 15 three-pointers, while Romania managed 31 from 71 attempts and 14 from distance. The visitors also dominated the boards with 46 rebounds to 34, including 22 on the offensive end. Money has come for the hosts in terms of possessions, but they could not convert them into points.
Bulgaria's recent form supports this result. They beat Slovakia 81-79 and drew with Poland 93-93 before picking up losses to Angola and Germany. Romania have struggled — they lost to Montenegro 80-75 and Greece 91-64 in their last two fixtures. The visitors kept their heads throughout and made Romania pay for every mistake.
Turnovers were marginally higher for both sides — 12 for Romania, 11 for Bulgaria — but the visitors made the right decisions when it mattered. Bulgaria's 23 assists to Romania's 21 shows better ball movement. The result means Bulgaria stay top, and Romania now face a difficult run if they want to recover.