Former UA forward Lauri Markkanen from Finland too much for Sweden, Wildcats guard Pelle Larsson | Bruce Pascoe’s blog
Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
After adjusting to his first match for Finland in four years, former Wildcat forward Lauri Markkanen from Cavaliers led his country to a 85-69 victory over Sweden and current UA guard Pelle Larsson in a FIBA 2023 World Cup Qualifying match on Thursday in Espoo. Finland.
Markkanen scored all over the floor at the same time a total of 22 points with 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Larsson, who made his debut for the Swedish senior national team, had three points while noting a steal over 12 minutes from the bench.
Lauri Markkanen, center, defends during Thursday’s FIBA qualifier.
With permission from FIBA
Larsson only took one shot during the match and hit a 3-pointer with 4:32 left in the first quarter to give Sweden a 17-8 lead. The Swedes led 29-19 in the first quarter but only 46-43 at the break and were during most of the second half when Markkanen warmed up.
The victory took a place in the second round of the World Cup qualifier for Finland, which is now 4-1 in Group C matches. Sweden (2-3) is scheduled to meet Luka Doncic and Slovenia (2-2) on Sunday in Stockholm.
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At the same time, Germany hosted Estonia 88-67 in the Group D match. Incoming UA big man Henri Veesaar was not on Estonia’s list after having played a reserve role in previous World Cup qualifiers.
