SKOPJE (FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B) - Greece extended their strong start of the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B with another convincing win in Skopje to improve to a 2-0 record in Group C.

Finland, Belgium, Slovenia, Switzerland and Denmark also inscribed their second victories in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia capital, while Portugal and Sweden got their campaigns off to a quick start after not being part of the opening-day action.

In a fine defensive display, Greece downed Iceland 59-30 thanks to a 61-41 advantage on the glass and efficient scoring by Christina Katsamouri and Danai Papadopoulou, who collected 12 and 10 points respectively on combined 8-of-14 shooting from the field.

Eleni Bosgana chipped in with 7 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, while not a single Icelandic player cracked the double-digit zone, with Sigurbjorg Eiriksdottir leading the way with 8 points.

Having joined the action a day late, Sweden showed no signs of first-game jitters in a close-fought duel against Israel, inscribing a 65-64 victory, as Tova Sabel posted 28 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals in her tournament debut.

After headlining the opening day of action with a 119-point victory margin over Moldova in Group B, Belgium had to settle for a more modest 94-72 win against Ukraine, with Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka leading the way with a 30-point and 15-rebound double-double.

Sam Van Buggenhout shared the game-high scoring mark of 30 points for the Belgians, while Emma Bell chipped in with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Vladyslava Kiba and Veronika Kosmach collected 23 and 21 points respectively for Ukraine.

Slovenia also improved to a 2-0 mark after overcoming a double-digit deficit against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to inscribe a 73-62 victory after outscoring the tournament hosts by 16 points after intermission.

Lea Debeljak was the only double-digit scorer for the winners with 20 points but the rest of the team contributed as a unit, with all 11 players getting on the scoreboard. On the other end, Matea Nikolikj's double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds was not enough for MKD to hold on to their big first-half lead.

Meanwhile, Ireland bounced back after a loss to the Slovenes with an 89-15 victory over Moldova behind a two-way performance by Lauren Darcy, who had 14 points and 9 steals to her name at the final buzzer.

In Group A, Finland brushed aside Estonia 54-28 after keeping their opponents in single digits in each of the four quarters. Awak Kuier was the key figure for the Finnish side once again with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks in her account after collecting an efficiency ranking of 47 in the tournament-opener against Bulgaria.

Having skipped the first day of action with a bye game, Portugal got on the board on their first try, downing Bulgaria 86-45 behind 21 points, 7 steals and 5 rebounds by Sara Guerreiro.

Switzerland and Denmark stayed on the right track in Group D, notching up wins over the Slovak Republic and Bosnia and Herzegovina respectively, while Great Britain got on the board by defeating Albania 68-35.

The Swiss side were once again led to victory by Charlotte Kohler, who had 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, as her team hammered their Slovak opposition with an 86-45 scoreline, while Marlene Pedersen had 25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in a 77-71 win for Denmark against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

FIBA