Ireland men fall to narrow 87-79 defeat to Norway in JYSK Summer Series

A captain’s performance from Sean Flood was not enough to stop Ireland falling to a narrow 87-79 defeat to Norway in the JYSK Summer Series at a sold out National Basketball Arena in Dublin.

Flood shot almost perfectly from the field, amassing 22-points on 7/11 shooting, while making all six of his efforts from the free-throw line. Jordan Blount, Sean Jenkins and Sam Alajiki also hit double digits on a night where Dublin’s Max Amadasun made his senior international debut. 

Despite a fast start from Norway, it was Ireland who returned to the locker room with a 45-42 lead at the break. Sean Flood showed the audience why Estonian side Tartu brought him in to help their championship push last season, attacking the basket relentlessly and bagging 16 first-half points. Another veteran of the group, Jordan Blount who played the act of robin, adding nine-points of his own through some trademark aggression at the rim.

It was perimeter defence that gave Ireland’s new look coaching staff the biggest quandary in the opening 20-minutes. The visitors shot an impressive 47% from beyond the arc – Stian Mjøs, Jørgen Odfjell and Sivert Nordheim all taking turns to silence the home fans. Not to be outdone though, the returning Sam Alajiki brought the crowd to its feet just before the buzzer, draining a three to ensure Ireland maintained their narrow advantage.

Hustle all over the floor on this play from the JYSK Summer Series between Ireland and Norway! 💚#GreenMeansGo ☘️ | #IrishBasketball pic.twitter.com/PH1kYzRP8o

— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) July 27, 2025

Blount scored Ireland’s first points of the second half to keep the scoreboard ticking, before Sean Jenkins showed a good handle in traffic to make a mid-range shot and draw the foul. The Griffith College Éanna star is close to automatic from the line and he duly dispatched his free-throw to grow the lead to six, 50-44 at the 8:14 mark. That sequence sparked a response from Norway. Good ball movement lead to an open look for Venstad Staff at the top of the key and his shot began a 15-5 run to the end of the third quarter.

Suddenly it was Ireland who needed to show resilience, down 59-55 heading down the stretch. 

A second three at the outset of the final quarter brought the deficit down to one, a feat Ireland managed once more in the closing stages when Sean Flood held his nerve from the free-throw stripe with 9:09 remaining. Norway were not going to give up their lead though. Inspired by their leader Harald Frey who scored 12-points in the clutch minutes, the Norwegians had their most profitable period since the opening quarter, hitting 28-points when it mattered.

With recently appointed head coach Michael Bree fulfilling his final contractual obligations with Denmark, his assistant Paul Kelleher was acting as lead coach for the contest.

“A lot of information was given to the players this week and there’s been a lot to take in. New coaching staff, different way of doing things, different warm-up, different points of emphasis, so it was always going to be difficult to put on a coherent display so soon after coming together,” said Kelleher. “Norway are a very good side, they’re preparing for the next round of FIBA World Cup qualifiers and they executed tonight at a high level. This was a good chance for us to get in camp with the players and start getting the messages across and we’re really happy with how they’ve shown up this week.”

“We can look ahead now to the FIBA EuroBasket 2027 pre-qualifying draw next month in good spirits, so just excited now to see what that throws up.”

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Quarter Scores:

Q1: 21-28, Q2: 24-14, Q3: 10-17, Q4: 24-28

Game Scores:

Q1: 21-28, Q2: 45-42, Q3: 55-59, Q4: 79-87

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Ireland:

Sean Flood (22), Jordan Blount (18), Sean Jenkins (11), Sam Alajiki (10), Max Amadasun (7), Rapolas Buivydas (6), Cian Heaphy (5), James Gormley (0), James Hannigan (0), Conor Quinn (0), David Lehane (0), Adrian O’Sullivan (0).

Norway:

Harald Frey (23), Sivert Nordheim (10), Stian Mjøs (9), Jørgen Odfjell (8), Hallvard Venstad Staff (8), Ludvik Bergseng (6), William Kruse (6), Lars Espe (5), Andriha Blatancic (5), Milovan Savic (5), Aksel Borg (2), Lars Nilsen (0).