Bulgaria’s women’s national basketball team opened the second stage of the qualifiers for the 2027 European Championship with a convincing victory. Tanya Gateva’s players defeated Croatia 91:74 (25:22, 17:13, 25:24, 24:15) at the “Arena SamEliON” in Samokov.
With this success, Bulgaria temporarily moved to the top of Group J alongside Spain. The national team now has six wins since the start of the qualifying campaign, having finished the first stage with a 5–1 record.
Tanya Gateva started with Gergana Ivanova, Karina Konstantinova, Borislava Hristova, Radostina Dimitrova and naturalized American Kayla Hillsman in the starting five.
The game began evenly, with the visitors taking an 11:6 lead. Bulgaria quickly found its rhythm and restored parity, and late in the first quarter Gergana Ivanova hit a three-pointer to make it 25:19. Croatia, however, managed to cut the deficit to 22:25 after the first 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the hosts took more decisive control of the game. Accurate shots by Kayla Hillsman, Karina Konstantinova and Borislava Hristova saw the difference reach 12 points at 34:22. The Bulgarian team maintained its advantage until halftime, when the score was 42:35.
After play resumed, the national team continued to dictate the pace. Borislava Hristova extended the lead to 15 points at 54:39, but the visitors gradually reduced the deficit. Bulgaria responded with another strong run and entered the final quarter with a 67:59 lead.
In the final period, the hosts did not allow a comeback and confirmed their superiority, reaching the final score of 91:74.
Borislava Hristova was Bulgaria’s top scorer with 28 points and 5 rebounds. Kayla Hillsman added 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Gergana Ivanova and Radostina Dimitrova contributed 11 points each.
For Croatia, Ivana Dojkić finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
In their next games of the qualifying window, Bulgaria will host Spain on November 14, and three days later will visit the Czech Republic.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for EuroBasket 2027, where the hosts Belgium, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden have already secured their places.