Serbia powerless against Spain, Garuba; Close calls in Group C

NOVI SAD (FIBA U16 European Championship) - Coming into the tournament, Group C seemed like the closest one. Day 1 just confirmed it, with a couple of dramatic turnarounds late in the games.

Croatia were up 11 on Turkey early on in the fourth quarter, but went ice-cold the rest of the way against a Turkish full court zone press. Dervis Gokhan Guney's players knocked down two three-pointers to make it interesting, before allowing their big guy to guide them home.

Alperen Sengun was unstoppable down low, finishing the game with a couple of strong layups to hand Turkey a 73-70 lead late in the game. Croatia had a chance to tie it one more time, but Ivan Perasovic's triple would not fall. Tibet Deniz Gorener set the final score at 75-70 from the free throw line.

 

Gorener and Sengun had 20 points apiece, with Sengun also grabbing 10 boards. Ivan Perasovic and Roko Prkacin combined for 41 points, 20 rebounds and 6 blocks for Croatia.

Croatia will take on Germany on Day 2, in a battle of the heartbroken. Germany blew a 14-point lead against Greece, missing a layup to win it at the end of the fourth quarter, and falling to a 69-68 defeat in overtime.

Anastasios Kostopoulos proved to be the hero, knocking down the game-winning three-pointer from the corner with 12 seconds remaining. Andreas Kalogiros did his part on the last defense of the game, deflecting a pass and altering a shot, protecting the Greek victory.

 

Kalogiros finished with a monster 21-point, 19-rebound double-double, winning the battle of bigs against Ariel Hukporti (13pts, 10rebs).

Over in Group B, Spain proved to be a tough costumer for the hosts Serbia. Usman Garuba stormed to 19 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists in the first half, creating a 43-17 advantage before the third quarter even began in Novi Sad.

 

It finished 72-46, with Garuba gathering in 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists. The big guy played the U16 event two summers ago, collecting a 15-point, 11-rebound, 10-block triple-double to help Spain defeat Lithuania in the Final.

Defending champs France also showed what they are made of, collecting a comfy 78-50 win over Italy. Juhann Begarin put on a dunking show, throwing it down three times in a 23-14 third quarter, the one that proved decisive in the game.

Begarin had 18 points and 5 steals, Moussa Diabate was equally impressive with 15 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Daniel Batcho had a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double. Croatia are the only team to retain the FIBA U16 European Championship title over the last 15 years, this French team looks capable of joining them in the club.

 

Top scorer of the day: Well, Garuba, obviously. Shooting 10-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-7 from the free throw line, the three-pointer seemed like his weak spot, as he missed all three of his attempts. But all in all, a fine day at the office for the power forward.

Top rebounder of the day: Kalogiros' not only defeated Hukporti in a direct matchup, but also managed to out-rebound that man Garuba. Greece's forward collected 19 boards, 10 of them being offensive.

Top passer of the day: Amit Aharoni helped Israel carve out a 78-63 win over Slovenia, dishing out 7 assists to go along with his 15 points.

Top thief of the day: Latvia have done their job on the defensive end against the Netherlands, winning the game 77-69. Kriss Helmanis and Toms Skuja had 5 steals each, the same amount as France's high-flying Begarin.

Top blocker of the day: Lithuania defeated Montenegro 84-50, and the oak tree under the basket was responsible for a strong defensive game. Azuolas Tubelis had 21 points and 5 blocks, the most of the day.

FIBA