The Ukrainian national basketball team continues its confident march in the final round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. After a spectacular win over Greece, the "blue and yellow" traveled to the Montenegrin capital, where they faced the local national team on the parquet of the "Moraca Sports Centre." The match was tense and tactical, but in the end the Ukrainians kept control of the game and recorded yet another victory, which allowed them to move into sole possession of the top spot in their qualifying group. Sport RBC.UA breaks down the detailed course of the game and its key moments, and the data from that source is relied upon in this article.

Early Surge and the First Quarter

The Ukrainians started the game in strong form, immediately building a run thanks to accurate three-pointers by Ivan Tkachenko, Dmytro Skapintsev, and Vyacheslav Bobrov. In the opening minutes the visitors' lead reached nine points — 12:3 — and the hosts were forced to call an early timeout. That said, Montenegro got back into the game through aggressive attacks and a string of free throws. By the end of the first ten-minute period the "blue and yellow" held only a slim lead — 19:17 — which set the tone for an evenly matched battle throughout the match.

Mykhailiuk and Shulga Decide the First Half

In the second quarter the Ukrainians tried to pull away again, thanks to effective play on the boards by Rostyslav Novytskyi and accurate shooting by Maksym Shulga and Oleksandr Kovali. However, the Montenegrins answered with fast breaks, capitalizing on the visitors' mistakes, and by the end of the second period had narrowed the gap to a single point — 40:41 — forcing the Ukrainian coaching staff to call a timeout. After the break, Andrii Voinalovych scored an important basket under the rim, and the real highlight of the first half was Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk's long-range shot, who hit a three-pointer right on the buzzer in the final second of the quarter. The first-half score was 46:40 in favor of the Ukrainian national team.

Third Quarter Dictated by the Visitors

The start of the third period was a hard-fought affair: the hosts seized the initiative through aggressive play under the boards and a sharp three by Vucevic, taking the lead — 47:46. The turning point was once again Mykhailiuk's long-range shot combined with Kovali's bold drives, which restored the visitors' six-point advantage. The Ukrainians dominated the closing minutes of the quarter: Shulga first sank a crucial three-pointer and then went for a drive, finishing with a "2+1." The emotional strain got the better of the hosts' head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, who picked up a technical foul for arguing with the referees in the final seconds. Shulga converted the free throw, and heading into the final quarter the scoreboard read 72:62 in Ukraine's favor.

Final Stretch and Group Leadership

In the closing segment the Ukrainians extended their lead and steadily held the margin in the "plus 12–15" range, with Mykhailiuk emerging as the true leader, consistently attacking the rim from mid and long range. Montenegro tried to mount a comeback after long-range buckets by Kliaic and Ferrell, cutting the deficit to eight points (77:85), but that surge was doused by Shulga, who drained a corner three (77:88). The final minute and a half were nerve-wracking: the hosts managed to close in to "minus nine," but no further, and the victory stayed with the visitors. The game's top scorer was Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk — 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Outlook and Upcoming Matches

Decisive for the standings was the parallel group match, in which Spain lost to Greece in overtime — 106:108. Thanks to this, the win over Montenegro propelled Ukraine into sole possession of the lead: Ainars Bagatskis's side became the first team in their group to reach six wins. The Ukrainian national team's next matches in the final round of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers will be against Portugal and Montenegro — on November 26 and 29, respectively. Thus, the "blue and yellow" retain full control of their qualifying fate and can secure their World Cup berth in advance.