Estonia started off its game in front of a full house at Tallinn's Unibet Arena a bit hesitantly and rigidly on Friday night, winning the rebounding battle 22-16, but sinking just three of 15 three-pointers and committing seven turnovers to North Macedonia's two in the first half.

At the same time, the visitors' star players, T.J. Shorts and Nenad Dimitrijevic, both of whom play in Euroleague clubs, were on a roll, scoring 13 points each in the first half, which ended with North Macedonia leading 39-38.

The second half got off to an excellent start for Estonia, however, as Artur Konontšuk nailed two consecutive three-pointers in less than a minute and added a third midway through the quarter.

Dimitrijevic and Shorts, meanwhile, stopped making their shots, leading to North Macedonia's game falling apart. Midway through the third period, Estonia held North Macedonia to just three points for six minutes, and a powerful dunk from Sander Raieste increased the home team's lead to ten points with just 41 seconds left in the quarter.

Estonia held North Macedonia to just 26 points in the second half, while they netted 46. All players on the roster saw game time on Friday, and Estonia dominated the rebounding battle 47-30.

Heading into their final game, the Estonian men's national basketball team leads Group H ahead of Lithuania.

Estonia's top scorer on Friday was Kotsar, who had an excellent game with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Janari Jõesaar, who sank two crucial three-pointers in the second quarter, contributed another 14 points and six rebounds, while Konontšuk and Raieste finished the game with 11 points each. In his national team debut, Stefan Vaaks earned the team another four points.

On the North Macedonian team, Shorts ended the game with 21 and Dimitrijevic with 20 points.

"Thanks to all the fans in the crowd and watching on TV!" Kotsar told ERR. "This wouldn't have been possible without them. Of course a huge thank you to the boys, who played hard!"

Estonia's win clear way ahead of final buzzer

Head coach Heiko Rannula added that the most important thing in a game like this is the win.

"To finally do it, in front of such a crowd — I don't think I've even fully processed those feelings yet," Rannula admitted. "That'll come later. Right now things feel a bit empty, but definitely a powerful feat."

The coach admitted that the team was a bit tense in the first half. "Maybe we overthought the defense a bit before the game," he said. "The tactical plan could have been simpler. I think the boys calmed down in the second half, and the defensive setup was completely different."

Fortunately, the game was clinched well before the final buzzer, as the opposing team's stars could have caused trouble for Estonia if the game had gone down to the wire.

"Those two players carried them, and there was a risk that if it came down to the end of the game, it would have been tough to play against them," Rannula said. "We started running more in the second half, and we got to let our quality shine. Our deep bench finally paid off!"

In games like this, he added, the players' mental qualities matter just as much as their physical ones.

Estonia's EuroBasket qualifiers campaign will conclude with an away game against Lithuania on February 24 — Estonia's Independence Day.

The EuroBasket finals will take place from August 27 to September 14 in Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia, with all playoff games held in Riga.

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