Oleksandr Kovliar’s Season Comes to a Close
The Adriatic League campaign has ended for Ukrainian national team basketball player Oleksandr Kovliar. In his final appearance, Kovliar’s club, Budućnost, lost to Dubai with a score of 77:103. This defeat meant Budućnost lost the semifinal series 1:2. Kovliar logged 15 minutes on the court but failed to score (0/1 on two-pointers). However, he dished out 7 assists, grabbed 1 rebound, recorded 1 steal, turned the ball over once, and committed 1 foul.
Over the course of this Adriatic League season, Kovliar played 28 games. His season averages were:
- 16.3 minutes per game
- 5.9 points
- 1.6 rebounds
- 2.7 assists
- 0.8 steals
Looking ahead, Budućnost will face Studenti Centar in the Montenegrin championship finals.
Ukraine’s National Team in 2027 World Cup Qualifying
Separately, the Ukrainian men’s basketball team has wrapped up its latest match in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. In the fourth round, Ukraine lost to Spain 78:64. The quarter-by-quarter breakdown was: 16:9, 12:12, 24:22, 26:21.
In that game, Ukraine’s scorers included:
- Lukashov with 6 points
- Kovliar, who scored 11 points
- Tkachenko with 4
- Voynalovych with 12
- Skapintsev with 4 points
Off the bench, contributions came from: Lypovyi (8 points), Bobrov (7 points), Zotov (0 points), Pustovyi (3 points), Tyrtyshnyk (7 points), Shelest (2 points), and Sushkin (2 points).
In earlier qualifying rounds, Ukraine beat Denmark 88:71 in the second round and defeated Georgia 92:79 in the opening match. Against Georgia, Oleksandr Kovliar was the standout performer, dropping 31 points in 37 minutes. His teammates contributed as follows: Tkachenko scored 8, Lypovyi 13, Bobrov added 11 points and 15 rebounds, and Pustovyi chipped in with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
As a result, Kovliar’s Adriatic League season is over, while the Ukrainian national team continues its fight in the 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The end of Kovliar’s season in the Adriatic League underscores the significance of his contributions to the team, even if the final series results weren’t ideal.
Following Ukraine's recent loss to Spain in the World Cup qualifiers, it's worth noting the team's earlier successes, including significant victories against Denmark and Georgia. To gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the Ukrainian squad and how they performed in those matches, you can read more about the details of their defeat to Spain in our comprehensive coverage here.