Monasterevin's Melia plays her part in stunning  EuroBasket qualifier win 

Ireland got their FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 qualification campaign up and running in style after they surmounted Group A top seeds, Bosnia and Herzegovina 94-67 when the two sides locked horns in the National Basketball Arena on Saturday night.

Such an impressive display against a side sitting 54 places ahead of them in the world rankings in 29th, was a massive boost for these Ireland players who were looking to bounce back from their 69-53 loss to Luxembourg in their curtain raiser to the qualifiers only three days before.

On a night that saw no less than six players hit double figures for James Weldon’s side, Kildare’s Claire Melia again made her presence very much felt with 13 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two blocks as Ireland carded their first victory since returning to FIBA Women’s EuroBasket competition back in 2021.

Former Liffey Celtics player, Hazel Finn also had a night to remember as she emerged Ireland’s top scorer on 16, while also taking six boards and producing three assists on the night.

The highly-rated young point guard opened the scoring for the hosts with a lay-up in the initial minute, before Melia drained the second of two free throws and Finn then struck from beyond the arc to help propel Ireland 11-4 in front.

Dragana Domuzin and Ajla Selimovic layups either side of a three from Ivona Krakic hauled Bosnia back on to level terms only to see Ireland push on again as Lorraine Scanlon delivered in the paint and from the free-throw line and Enya Maguire and Bridget Herlihy both produced three-point jump shots to help open up a 12-point gap (27-15) by the close of the first quarter.

Finn added to that with two free throws early in the second quarter before the visitors recouped some lost ground with seven unanswered points.

Ireland got going again with buckets from Finn, Melia and captain, Edel Thornton, but a further eight-point run saw Bosnia close the gap to just two, Kamiah Smalls flexing her muscles with some timely scores in the paint.

Still, a Sarah Hickey layup with four seconds left in the half, saw Ireland head in at the break with a 40-36 lead, and they quickly set about enlarging that gap when they returned to the court, Melia draining a three-point jump shot just 16 seconds into the third.

The Monasterevin woman, along with Hickey, Thornton, Finn and Scanlon then struck on the inside as Ireland moved 17 points clear before Krakic got Bosnia’s side of the scoreboard ticking again.

But Ireland were not about to relinquish their grip on this game and a Thornton triple, along with four free throws by Melia saw Ireland take a 69-51 advantage into the final 10 minutes.

Krakic and Smalls did make early layups in the fourth for the visitors, but only either side of a three-point jump shot from Hickey, as Ireland kept their foot very much on the pedal.

Bridget Herlihy and Hickey struck from inside and outside the arc respectively, while Bronagh Power-Cassidy added to Ireland’s tally with a range of shots as Weldon’s side rocketed over the line for a victory that leaves them on a sound footing heading into their next Group A game against Israel in Riga on Tuesday night.

Ireland were coming into Saturday’s contest on the back of their 69-53 defeat at the hands of Luxembourg in their opening game of the campaign the previous Wednesday in Tallaght.

Trailing their opponents of ten (21-11) after the opening quarter, the hosts were unable to make any in-roads into that gap over the next 20 minutes and, instead, found themselves facing a 26-point deficit by the start of the fourth.

They did managed to recoup ten in that period, but were never in a position to really threaten their opponents’ hold on this game, Anne Simon carding a game-high 14 points for the visitors, while Magaly Meynadier and Dionne Madjo also made their presence felt with 13 points apiece.

Melia did also emerge from that game with some strong stats, including nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Finn and Power-Cassidy put up a combined 19 on the scoreboard, yet it was not enough to spark an Ireland revival.

But team boss, Weldon was delighted at the manner in which his Ireland players responded to that early setback by way of Saturday’s tremendous display, saying “It’s incredible, I’m just so proud of the team.

“We’ve had some really special nights here in the Arena without sealing the deal, but we’ve really put ourselves back in with a shot of qualifying, which is always the goal, and the points aggregate is going to be great going into Tuesday’s game and the next phase in March. We’ve got so much to play for.

“We were so disappointed with Wednesday night [against Luxembourg], but credit to each of those women, they stood up to the plate and delivered,” he said.