MIES (Switzerland) - Records are meant to be broken.
Those immortal words were spoken by the legendary swimmer, Mark Spitz, who made a big splash at the 1972 Olympics, winning seven gold medals. There was a lot of splashing going on in the FIBA Continental Cup qualifiers just staged in November. A bevy of individual and team Qualifiers game-highs were established last week.
The game-high date back to the current system of competition, which went into effect in 2017.
EuroBasket Qualifiers Individual Game-Highs
43 points scored (twice!)
Germany's David Kramer had the game of his life in Sweden on Friday, November 22, to surpass Iffe Lundberg's EuroBasket Qualifiers individual high of 38 points. The dazzling Dane had owned the record for four years, setting it in a EuroBasket qualifier against Czechia. Kramer got his 43 points on 14 of 19 shooting from the floor, hitting an eye-popping 8 three-pointers. He was also 7 of 9 at the free-throw line, but Germany fell, 73-72.
How special was that 43 points? Very. But not special enough to keep North Macedonia's Nenad Dimitrijevic from grabbing a share of the record because he torched Lithuania for 43 points in Klaipeda, including a 7 of 15 effort from deep.
He made all four of his free-throws as well. Alas, the incredible showing didn't lead the North Macedonians to victory with the Baltic team winning, 94-72.
New best 16 made shots from the field
Malik-Kalev Kostar had nearly three years to boast he'd made more field goals, 15, than anyone else in a EuroBasket Qualifying game, something he achieved against Italy in February of 2021. Dimitrijevic, in the process of pouring in his 43 points against Lithuania, made 16 of 30 shots from the floor in Klaipeda and now ranks No. 1 in that statistical category.
Sizzling Slovenian Prepelic with a new game-high in made free-throws
Don't fret if you're a fan of Klemen Prepelic because the free-throw king is still on the throne. After making a record 14 (from 15 attempts) against Ukraine on February 22 in the first window of this year, Prepelic drilled 15 (from 16) in a narrow home win over Portugal on Monday, November 25.
Czechia's Balvin (CZE) shares defensive rebound high of 11
Victory eluded Ondrej Balvin in the Netherlands on Sunday when the Dutch beat Czechia, 77-70. Yet Balvin did leave with something to boast about - a share of the defensive rebound game-high. Of the 13 rebounds that accompanied his 15 points, 11 of his boards came on the defensive glass to equal the mark set by Bulgaria's Jordan Minchev on February 22 earlier this year against Sweden.
Mr. Efficient
It turns out that Kramer didn't just score a record 43 points at Sweden in this window. He also had a single-game high +41 efficiency dating back to 2017.
EuroBasket Qualifiers Team Game-Highs
Bosnia and Herzegovina equal 110-point mark in single game
The most important thing was the win, a 20-point triumph over Croatia on Sunday, November 24, to fuel hopes of EuroBasket 2025 qualification. The cherry on the cake was the offensive explosion, though, which gave Bosnia and Herzegovina a share of single game points mark with Bulgaria, who had also scored 110 points in a EuroBasket 2022 Qualifier victory over Latvia in February, 2020.
Germany grab 26 offensive rebounds at Sweden
As records go, Germany can't really celebrate the ones they set in Stockholm on Friday, November 22, because they lost the game. No one will care about that loss, though, if they go on and qualify for the EuroBasket. Then the records will have a little more shine to them.
Slovakia's game-high 41 defensive rebounds
How did Slovakia stay close to defending EuroBasket champions Spain on Friday, November 22, you ask? They got stops, and rebounds - a game-high 41 defensive boards! Slovakia lost after two overtimes yet now hold a record in one of the most important parts of the game. Greece had the previous record of 40 in a 84-78 win over Bulgaria in November, 2020.
Czechia's news assists mark of 31
Is there a statistic that reflects excellent team play better than the assist? Probably not, so Czechia fans must be thrilled that their team had 31 helpers in a 96-74 victory over the Netherlands on Thursday, November 21. The previous game-high of 30 assists was shared by Lithuania and Ukraine.
Serbia's new single-game efficiency high of +139
A testament to their overall dominance against Denmark, Serbia were off the charts with their efficiency of +139 (Aleksa Avramovic had a team-high +24) in a 98-51 home romp on Sunday, November 24. The previous best was Ukraine's +131 in a 97-63 victory over Hungary on February 22, 2021.
AmeriCup Qualifiers Team Game-Highs
116 points scored by Panama in Paraguay!
You had a feeling that Panama were going to go for a big number when they opened their window at Paraguay and Trevor Gaskins caught fire from long-range in the first half. Gaskins ended up hitting 7 three-pointers, including 4 in the first 2:41 of the second quarter, en route to 23 points and Iverson Molinar electrified the crowd with 27 points. The previous team record for points scored by a team was 108 and both times by Brazil, and both times in February, 2024. And both times against Paraguay!
Panamanians share 40 field goals made with USA
That high-scoring triumph over Paraguay also left Panama with a joint record, shared with the USA, of 40 field goals made in a game. Molinar had 25 percent of those makes after going 10 of 18 from the floor.
Sizzling hot USA join Canada with most threes in a game
The USA were on target in Washington DC this window when they hosted Puerto Rico and buried 17 three-pointers. The Americans shot 48 percent from deep!
Canada's 32 assists against Dominican Republic are most in an AmeriCup Qualifiers
The USA and Canada went into the November window sharing the record of the most assists by a team in a single qualifier with 30. Now Canada stand alone after dishing out 32 in their 88-71 victory over the Dominican Republic. Trae Bell-Haynes was especially good with 10 of those dimes.
Asia Cup Qualifiers Individual Game-Highs
Goulding, Haji go on three-pointer blitz
Entering the November window, no player had made more than 8 three-pointers in any Continental Championship qualifier. Australia's Chris Goulding and Bahrain's Ahmed Haji changed that! Goulding snatched the record with a blistering 9 three-pointer day in Bangkok in Australia's 101-48 Boomers win on Thursday, November 21. Twenty-four hours later and Bahrain's Ahmed Haji hit his first 11 from deep to start the game. Incredible!
After that new single-game record, in Australia's next game, a 98-75 win over Korea, Goulding hit 10 more three-pointers to establish a new record of 19 three-pointers in a window! The previous Asia Cup Qualifiers record was shared by Bahrain's Mohamed Ebrahim and Ya-Hsuan Hsieh of Chinese Taipei, with each having hit 7 three-pointers in a game.
Brandon Gil-Block with the swats game-high
Chinese Taipei's Brandon Gilbeck became the sixth player to reject 5 shots in Chinese Taipei's first game of the November window, a win over Hong Kong, China. Saudi Arabia's Mohamed Alsuwailem briefly took sole possession of the record with 6 blocks in his first game on November 22, but again, it only lasted for so long.
Gilbeck set a new standard by blocking 7 shots in his team's game at New Zealand on Monday to set a new standard.
Asia Cup Qualifiers Team Game-High
Japan's Block Party
Japan now hold the record of 10 swats in a game after rejecting 10 in an 83-78 victory at Guam on Monday, November 25. Japan's 2023 World Cup hero Joshua Hawkinson led the way with 4 of his own. Guam and Lebanon had held the previous record of 9 blocks in a game.
FIBA