Round of 16 pairings set: Neighborhood battles await on Tuesday

NOVI SAD (FIBA U16 European Championship 2018) - The teams are headed for a day of rest on Monday, but after an action-packed Sunday, they now know who is standing in their way towards the medal hunt.

Germany got off the mark just in time for the elimination games, handing Turkey their first defeat in a 79-64 game, led by Jordan Samara's 16-point performance. But Turkey already knew they would finish first in the group no matter what, and Germany stayed in last spot.

However, getting a win could be the morale booster they needed ahead of a Round of 16 matchup with the mighty France. Yvan Ouedraogo was in beast mode, collecting 14 points and 15 rebounds, as France held off Estonia for a 66-57 win, moving up to 3-0.

Eesti still kept their "Cinderella story" alive, as they got closer to France than anybody so far. Estonia will meet Greece in the fight for a Quarter-Final spot, with the Greeks falling just short against Croatia.

 
Croatian head coach Mile Karakas managed to connect four again in his offensive schemes, with Ivan Perasovic (23), Boris Tisma (22), Matej Bosnjak (13) and Roko Prkacin (10) all reaching double figures. Point guard Filip Paponja (10) joined them with a couple of buzzer-beating three-pointers in the second half, as Croatia avoided stress with an 83-71 triumph.

Croatia are all set to meet Gabriele Procida and Italy next. The high-flying Italian dunked his way to 28 points in a 93-55 win over Georgia.

 
In the other part of the draw, Serbia took a 44-22 lead to the locker-room, and there was no coming back from that deficit for the Netherlands. The game finished 77-52, Vojin Ivkovic was the bolt of energy off the bench, scoring 13 points, with 5 assists and 4 rebounds for good measure, too. With a second spot in Group B, Serbia will keep it in the neighborhood for the Round of 16, taking on Slovenia next.

The U16 team of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 winners looked like their senior colleagues, at least for a day, blowing out Montenegro 104-84. Luka Tekavcic exploded for 25 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks, sending Montenegro to the bottom of the group, effectively meaning Fedor Zugic and his company have to face Spain in the eighth-finals.

Spain did not allow Latvia to upset them, storming away for their third no-stress win in Serbia. Usman Garuba was doing Usman Garuba things - 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks and an efficiency of 38, all done in 19 minutes - leading Spain to an 87-71 victory. Latvia are third in Group B, matching up with Israel for a place among the elite eight.

 
Israel were without a chance against Lithuania, and with all the talk about Amit Aharoni's passing over the first two days, Lithuania wanted to send a message about passing skills, delivering 29 assists in a 92-46 win. Augustas Marciulionis knows that the theme of the championship in Novi Sad is all about famous dads and their kids - Sarunas' boy dished out a team-high 7 dimes.

Tuesday's Round of 16 pairings:

Lithuania v Netherlands Croatia v Italy

Serbia v Slovenia France v Germany

Israel v Latvia Turkey v Georgia

Spain v Montenegro Estonia v Greece [/unordered]

Top scorer of the day: Procida of Italy was unstoppable for his 28 points, shooting 11-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, staying just a point short of Zugic's tournament-high, which was 29.

Top rebounder of the day: Rebounds are important, and France know all about it, with Moussa Diabate and Daniel Batcho being the usual suspects. This time, it was Yvan Ouadraogo who outmuscled everybody, on his way to 15 boards against Estonia.

Top passer of the day: Toms Skuja of Latvia joined his neighbor Marciulionis, both of them with 7 assists on the day. Must be a Baltic thing.

Top thief of the day: Greece played passionate defense against Croatia, but it wasn't enough for them to force a dramatic ending. Alexandros Nikolaidis stole the ball 6 times, a day-high in Novi Sad, and the high-flying Italian Procida tied his performance with 6 of his own.

Top blocker of the day: Azuolas Tubelis has been close in the rebounding and blocking stats category every day so far. He is back on top on Sunday, rejecting 4 Israeli shots.

FIBA