Susijengi of Finland suffered a disappointing defeat against Georgia in the EuroBasket qualifiers, with the final score reading 83-90 (48-43) in Espoo. This loss marked the second defeat for the Finnish basketball team in the qualifiers, whereas it was Georgia's first win in the competition.

- "We had too many dark moments, which is why we fell behind. In the end, we made a strong surge, but we couldn't dig out the victory," commented Sasu Salin, who scored four three-pointers during the game.

Previously, Finland had triumphed over Denmark but lost to Serbia. Despite this setback, the Susijengi is a guaranteed team for the EuroBasket tournament next year, where one of the preliminary groups will take place in Tampere.

In their qualifying group, Serbia, Denmark, and Georgia are all vying for spots in the EuroBasket, with one team ultimately being left out of the competition.

Struggling initially, Georgia took their first lead in the game at the beginning of the decisive quarter, surging ahead by ten points (75-65) within just four minutes. During this time, Finland's offense stalled significantly.

- "For some reason, we began to slow down our game. Part of it was certainly due to the opponent’s performance. They were able to get to the free-throw line frequently, while we turned the ball over. It’s tough to run the court when the opponent is continually shooting free throws," reflected Finland's anchor Alexander Madsen.

The Susijengi rallied promisingly within three minutes remaining, narrowing the gap to four points. Elias Valtonen sunk a couple of threes in the chase, with Olivier Nkamhoua adding one as well.

Nkamhoua brought the score to 78-80, and Salin then made it 81-82, but Georgia’s newcomer, guard Kamar Baldwin, hit a crucial three-pointer, putting Georgia ahead decisively at 85-81.

Edon Maxhuni missed his free throws in the end, leaving Finland’s late-game charge unfinished. Georgia then sealed the score at 90-83 with impressive free-throw performance, hitting 15 more free throws than Finland at a much better accuracy.

Fast-Paced First Half – "A Lot of Good Things"

During the first half, Susijengi maintained a high pace, as coach Lassi Tuovi rotated ten players vigorously. Finland led the entire first half, even going up by 13 points at one stage, but Georgia managed to cut the deficit to five at halftime with a solid three-point shooting display.

Nkamhoua was the top scorer for the home team, netting 22 points along with ten rebounds, earning him the best efficiency rating of the match.

- "When we as a team are aggressive and the ball is moving, one of us always seems to have a good day. That’s a beautiful part of our national team," Nkamhoua stated.

The experienced Alexander Madsen had an impressive first half, achieving a triple-double pace with 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, ultimately finishing with 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Other notable performances included Valtonen (14 points, 8 rebounds), Salin (15 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists), Maxhuni (8 points, 10 assists), and Ilari Seppälä (6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists).

Kamar Baldwin led the winning side with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Tornike Shengelia, who plays for Virtus Bologna, contributed significantly with 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Despite the defeat, Susijengi's head coach Tuovi saw many positives in the performance.

- "It was a game with many ups and downs, but we saw a lot of good things. We let Georgia take the lead, and this time we couldn't turn the game around, even when we were just one basket away at the end.

- "The style of play was what we want. We are working on small things and learning. Overall, it was very good. Ollila made a clear improvement in the Susijengi," praised Tuovi regarding Nkamhoua's performance.

Notably, the current best Finnish player on European courts, Mikael Jantunen, was unavailable for the Susijengi as he was playing for Paris Basketball in the EuroLeague in Istanbul at the same time.

However, Jantunen is likely to be available for Finland in their upcoming rematch against Georgia in the EuroBasket qualifiers this Sunday.