Denmark and Luxembourg ease into Sunday clash for gold

CORK (FIBA Women's European Championship for Small Countries) - Denmark surged into Sunday's Final, where they will take on Luxembourg. The Danes will be seeking a maiden title, Luxembourg their second.

In the battle for Scandinavian bragging rights, Norway hung around closely in the first quarter, but once more Denmark's superior ball protection came into play to get them the win, 77-42. Committing only 8 turnovers of their own, the Danish snatched 12 steals and forced a total of 21 turnovers from the Norwegians.

Maria Jespersen was again waving her hand high for tournament MVP honors, with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double.

In the second Semi-Final, a powerful third quarter drove Luxembourg past Malta 62-47. Leading by 5 at the half, Luxembourg shifted gears following the break to take the third quarter 26-12 and crush the Maltese spirits. Luxembourg once more rolled deep, getting 30 of their points from the bench. 

Earlier in the day, Ireland set up a rematch of their final group game against Cyprus, with a comfortable 102-28 win over a hapless Moldovan team. Casey Grace had her best performance of the tournament, finishing with 18 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks for an efficiency rating of 31.

Cyprus arrived in the game for fifth place, thanks to a straightforward 100-47 win over Gibraltar, Tijana Raca racking up a tidy 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, with 5 assists for good measure. This also means Gibraltar will meet Moldova in a replay of their Day 1 clash.

FIBA