Georgia Erases 22-Point Hole, Stuns Spain 91-89 in FIBA OT

Georgia erased a 22-point hole against Spain on Sunday and held on for a 91-89 overtime victory in a FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifying game in Tbilisi. Tornike Shengelia poured in a national-team career-high 37 points and Marcquise Reed added 32, with Reed’s basket with 19 seconds left in overtime sealing the upset at the Tbilisi Sports Palace.

The win moves Georgia to 3-3 in Group A of the European qualifiers, while Spain falls to 5-1 after losing for the first time in the first round. Both teams advance to the second round, with Spain denied a perfect 6-0 carryover into Group I, per the Eurohoops recap of the Tbilisi game.

The Comeback: From 32-14 Down to Overtime

Spain opened the game as if the second round was already booked. The visitors built a 32-14 lead after the first quarter, the widest margin either team would see all night. Hernangómez and Jaime Pradilla did most of the early damage against a Georgia defense that could not find its feet in the opening 10 minutes.

Spain pushed the margin to 52-38 at halftime and 71-57 through three quarters, per the FIBA game sheet for Georgia vs Spain. The lead peaked at 22. Then the second half belonged to Georgia. Reed knocked down a three-pointer that cut Spain’s lead to 81-79, then moments later tied the game at 81-81. Shengelia followed with a bucket to give Georgia its first lead of the night at 83-81.

Spain answered through Pradilla, whose layup with time winding down forced overtime at 83-83 after Shengelia missed a potential game-winning shot in regulation. In the extra period, Spain opened with a five-point run, the last gasp of a lead that had seemed safe an hour earlier. Georgia rallied again. Shengelia hit a three, Reed scored twice more, and Reed’s decisive basket with 19 seconds remaining pushed Georgia to 91-89. Spain mishandled its final possession as time expired.

Shengelia Posts a National-Team Career-High 37

Shengelia carried Georgia from the opening tip, finishing with 37 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, plus 10 rebounds and 4 steals in 44 minutes and 31 seconds of a possible 45. The performance was a new personal best with the senior national team, surpassing a mark he had chased through three previous EuroBasket appearances and a 2023 World Cup debut, according to FIBA’s official recap of the Tbilisi game.

Shengelia’s 37 ties Jordan Loyd’s mark for most points in this qualifying campaign, with only Dennis Schröder (38) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (40) having scored more in a single FIBA Basketball World Cup European qualifier, per the FIBA recap. Shengelia is 34 years old and turns 35 in October. He finished his club season with FC Barcelona on June 24, then crossed back to Tbilisi to join the national team.

His career has run through Valencia, Spirou Charleroi, the Brooklyn Nets, Baskonia, CSKA Moscow, Virtus Bologna, and now Barcelona, a path that started in Tbilisi and returned there Sunday. Shengelia won the Italian championship with Virtus Bologna in his last season before Barcelona and was named Lega Serie A Finals MVP.

Reed, the Naturalized Scorer, Seals It

Reed delivered 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting with 7 assists. His three-pointer at 81-81 was the shot that broke Spain’s grip on the game, and his basket with 19 seconds left in overtime was the one that ended it.

Reed is an American-born guard who took Georgian nationality to play for the national team. He played college basketball at Clemson, led the Tigers to a 12-1 start in his first season as a starter, and scored his 2,000th career point in his final college game. He went undrafted in 2019 and started his professional career in France.

Reed was named Turkish League MVP in back-to-back seasons with Tofaş in 2025 and Trabzonspor in 2026, and he was the Turkish League scoring champion in 2024, 2025, and 2026. He signed with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi after the Trabzonspor campaign. Through four qualifying games with Georgia, he has scored 97 points in 108 minutes of playing time, per the FIBA recap.

Reed’s qualifying scoring rate has put him alongside Shengelia as the leading scorers of the European qualifiers. His fourth qualifying game came in Tbilisi, and his dagger at the 19-second mark of overtime was his second decisive shot of the night, after the tying three earlier in the fourth quarter.

Spain’s Lead Disappears in the Second Half

Spain led 32-14 after the first quarter, 52-38 at halftime, and 71-57 through three quarters. The team coached by Chus Mateo held the lead for 41 minutes and 16 seconds of the 48-minute game, per the FIBA game sheet, with four lead changes along the way. Most of Spain’s damage came in the opening three quarters, when Shengelia and Reed were still finding range.

Hernangómez led Spain with 19 points. Alvaro Cárdenas added 14 points with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Mario Saint-Supery, 20 years old, scored 13 points in 19 minutes off the bench. Hugo González was held to 9 points on 3-of-8 shooting, a quiet night for a forward Spain had hoped would expand his role in the second round. Spain’s young backcourt of Cárdenas and Saint-Supery, both 24 and 20 respectively, had been billed by FIBA as the country’s emerging one-two punch.

Spain’s defense, anchored by coach Chus Mateo, could not contain Shengelia in the second half. Mateo took over Spain’s senior team in September 2025 after 15 years under Sergio Scariolo. The Tbilisi loss is his first in qualifying play and ends Spain’s bid for an unbeaten first round, per FIBA’s recap.

Both Teams Move On, With Different Marks

Georgia closes Group A at 3-3, Spain at 5-1. Ukraine joined them in the second round at 4-2.

Both sides carry their records into Group I of the second round, where a new six-game schedule opens in late August. Under the format detailed on the FIBA format page for the European qualifiers, the top three teams from Group I qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Doha, Qatar. The other three opponents in Group I are still to be confirmed.

A Rising Program With Bumps Left to Clear

Georgia reached the FIBA World Cup for the first time in 2023, with Shengelia at the center of the qualifying run. At EuroBasket 2025, Georgia beat France in the round of 16 and reached the quarterfinals, with Bitadze leading the team in blocks. Shengelia has been on the senior national team since 2011 and has played in three EuroBaskets and one World Cup.

Spain, the reigning EuroBasket 2022 champions and 2019 FIBA World Cup gold medalists, lost to Georgia in group play at EuroBasket 2025 and failed to escape the group stage, per FIBA’s recap. The Tbilisi loss is their first in this qualifying window and the first blemish of Mateo’s tenure since he replaced Scariolo in September 2025.

Both teams now look to the second round, which tips off in late August, with home and away legs across three windows in August, November, and February. The top three of Group I qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar in 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup?

The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2027, with 12 European teams qualifying through the European qualifying process that began in February 2024. Spain are the reigning World Cup gold medalists from 2019 in China.

How does the European qualifying format work?

Thirty-two European teams were divided into eight groups of four in the first round, with the top three from each group advancing to the second round. The 24 second-round teams are pooled into four groups of six, and the top three from each group earn a World Cup berth.

Where does Georgia go from here?

Georgia advances to Group I of the second round alongside Spain (5-1) and Ukraine (4-2). The new six-game schedule opens in late August, with the other three opponents still to be confirmed.

Who is Marcquise Reed?

Marcquise Reed is an American-born guard who took Georgian nationality to play for the national team. He played college basketball at Clemson, signed with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi in 2026, and was named Turkish League MVP in 2025 and 2026.