EUROBASKET QUALIFIERS

A huge first quarter set Azerbaijan on their way to a 101-78 road win over Luxembourg to kick-start their EuroBasket qualifying campaign.

Orhan Haciyeva had 11 points in the opening nine minutes alone as the visitors led 31-15 late in the first quarter, and Luxembourg were never able to dig themselves out of the hole.

Azerbaijan torched Luxembourgh with the long ball early, scoring their first 15 points from outside the arc as Haciyeva, Zaur Pashayev, and Fuad Niftaliyev all found their range.

Charles Davis made it 17-7 with less than four minutes gone and their lead was 23-11 when Rasim Bashak sank yet another three with 3:12 still to go in the opening quarter.

Bashak's second three made it 31-15 before Raul Birenbaum made a lay-up to cut the lead before the buzzer.

They kept it coming in the second quarter, with a 14-5 run putting them up 45-24 on a Davis jump-shot, and the contest was as good as over with more than 25 minutes left to go with Luxembourg unable to get within 15 points again.

Azerbaijan enjoyed their biggest lead, 100-72 with a little over two minutes left in the game.

Pashayev led Azerbaijan with 21 points while Davis and Haciyeva had 20 each, and Aleksandr Rindin scored 17 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Azerbaijan made 13-of-28 (46.4%) of their three-point attempts.

Samy Picard had 28 points for Luxembourg with Tom Schumacher adding 18.