Wright makes strong North Macedonia debut as Vezenkov proves unstoppable

Moses Wright marked his North Macedonia debut with 12 points, nine rebounds and a block in a 91-59 away win over Austria. The former Žalgiris forward started and played nearly 28 minutes, also adding three assists and one steal.

Only Nenad Dimitrijević produced a higher efficiency rating for North Macedonia. He scored 15 points and completed a powerful triple-double with 14 rebounds and 11 assists, earning a rating of 30. Viktor Efremovski led the team with 17 points.

The game opened North Macedonia’s campaign in the preliminary tournament for European Championship qualification. Cyprus also competes in Group F, and only the group winner will advance to the main qualifying stage. Wright, a naturalised American, joined Milan’s Olimpia this summer after emerging as one of Žalgiris’ leaders last season.

In EuroLeague play last season, Wright averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and a 17.1 efficiency rating. His national-team call-up means he will miss the beginning of Olimpia’s preseason preparations.

Bulgaria also began its campaign with a win, beating Romania 103-86. Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov scored 36 points in 33.5 minutes, shooting nine of 11 on two-point attempts and four of eight from three-point range. He added nine rebounds, six assists and a 46 efficiency rating. Daron Russell scored 22 points for Romania. Denmark is the other team in Group D, and only the group winner will progress.