Chris Finch's team still controls its destiny, and the goal of playing in Lithuania next year, when they host Bosnia & Herzegovina on Thursday and travel to Ukraine on Sunday.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu led GB with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Luol Deng added 14 points and nine boards, having only had three points at half-time.

The home team, who are the only side who can catch GB in the qualifying group, were again led by Bo McCalleb who finished with 20 points.

Macedonia won the tip, and Pero Antic gave them the lead before Reinking levelled the score. McCalleb and Deng exchanged treys and GB were 9-5 up at the five minute mark following scores from Mensah-Bonsu and Ogo Adegboye.

A Mensah-Bonsu dunk with three minutes remaining put GB 11-10 ahead, but it was the hosts who closed out the period strongly as they went on an 11-2 run before Adegboye beat the buzzer to reduce the arrears to 22-14 at the first break.

Kieron Achara opened the second period scoring and GB remained in touch as a Mensah-Bonsu lay-up kept the deficit at five going into the final six minutes of the half.

That lead grew to ten following a Darko Sokolov trey to force a timeout from GB Head Coach, Chris Finch, but the same player hit another triple and Todor Gechevski also drained from downtown to make it a 16 point game.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning broke the run, but McCalebb send the home team into the locker room with a 43-27 lead

McCalebb opened the second half scoring with a pair of baskets split by a Reinking drive to the basket, but although Deng doubled his tally with a three-pointer, GB were still 14 down at the five minute mark.

That lead grew to 17 as Predrag Samardziski hit three points, and while Mensah-Bonsu took his tally to 13 on a fast break, GB ended the third quarter trailing 58-38.

Any thoughts of a comeback were quickly erased as Riste Stefanov buried a trey to open the final stanza, and the lead peaked at 28 when Samardziski converted a pair from the line before a Deng trey sparked a 9-0 run.

The hosts were kept scoreless for three and half minutes, and Achara wrapped up the scoring with a lay-up to finish the game.

GB Head Coach, Chris Finch said after the game: "All credit to Macedonia tonight. They played a great game.

"In some ways, we felt this loss coming. We lacked focus tonight and we will have to get that back in Liverpool.

"We played better in the second half and got some open shots, but we just couldn't knock down any open jumpers."