Ukraine vs Georgia

Georgia started the brighter side. Giorgi Shermadini opened the scoring with an offensive put-back, and a Thaddus McFadden triple gave the visitors an early 5-2 lead. But Ukraine responded swiftly behind captain Oleksandr Kovliar, whose driving lay-up sparked a 17-10 run.

Mykhailiuk took over late in the first quarter with three consecutive three-pointers, pushing Ukraine to a 30-27 lead after the opening period. The Utah Jazz wing was a perfect 3-of-3 from distance in the first 10 minutes.

The second quarter belonged to Ukraine's interior game. Dmytro Skapintsev — the 216 cm centre — imposed himself on both ends, grabbing offensive rebounds and finishing through contact. Ukraine stretched the lead to 17 points before halftime.

A flashpoint arrived midway through the second period: Oleksandr Kobzystyi and Marcquise Reed were ejected after a scuffle, each receiving two technical fouls. Reed had been Georgia's most effective player, scoring 18 points in just 11 minutes. His departure removed the visitors' primary scoring threat.

Ukraine delivered the decisive blow early in the third quarter. A 13-0 run — fuelled by Mykhailiuk's transition three and Kovliar's mid-range pull-up — stretched the lead to 23 points, the game's largest margin. Georgia briefly rallied behind Tornike Shengelia (12 points, 6 rebounds), cutting the deficit to 15 by the end of the third quarter (75-60), but Ukraine never allowed the margin below double digits in the final period.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Ukraine) — 28 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk FIBA's daily scoring leader for the entire July 2 window. Mykhailiuk shot 5-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line — a perfect 12-of-12 from the field and the stripe combined, per Eurobasket.com. His first-quarter flurry set the tone.

Oleksandr Kovliar (Ukraine) — 20 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb Ukraine's captain was the engine of the offence, hitting four three-pointers and running the pick-and-roll effectively. He finished 8-of-8 from two-point range, per game footage.

Dmytro Skapintsev (Ukraine) — 17 pts, 14 reb, 0 turnovers A monstrous double-double without a single giveaway. Skapintsev controlled the paint against Georgia's frontline and was a primary reason Ukraine won the battle on the boards.

Marcquise Reed (Georgia) — 18 pts in 11 min The most efficient scorer on the floor before his ejection. Reed's departure in the second quarter was the single biggest factor in Georgia losing offensive structure.

Ukraine's 19-point victory margin was their largest against Georgia in three competitive meetings since 2021 (H2H: Ukraine leads 2-1). The 95 points scored were Ukraine's highest output of the qualifying window so far. Mykhailiuk's 28 points and Skapintsev's 14 rebounds both topped the FIBA daily stat leaders across all European qualifiers on July 2 (18 points was the next-highest in this game).

Georgia shot efficiently in stretches but could not overcome Reed's ejection — they scored only 16 points in the second quarter after managing 27 in the first.

The result guarantees Ukraine a place in the Second Round of the European Qualifiers, where results from the first round carry over. They will finish the first-round group stage with an away match against Denmark on Sunday, 5 July 2026 in Copenhagen.

Georgia drop to 2-3 in Group A and must win their remaining first-round fixture — and likely rely on other results — to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Ukraine's blend of elite wing scoring (Mykhailiuk), crafty point guard play (Kovliar), and interior force (Skapintsev) proved too much for a Georgia side that lost its best scorer to an ejection at the worst possible moment. The 13-0 third-quarter blitz was the knockout punch. Ukraine progress on merit.