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17 - 26
August 2017
12 Tijana Mitreva (MKD), 14 Matea Atanasovska (MKD), 50 Olena Popova (UKR), 22 Veronika Kosmach (UKR)
24/08/2017
News
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Ukraine hand Quarter-Finals upset to Portugal; Belgium, Denmark and Greece stay in the medal race

SKOPJE (FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B) - Belgium, Denmark, Greece and Ukraine are headed to the Semi-Finals in the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B after passing the Quarter-Finals hurdle in Thursday's action in Skopje.

Denmark have now been paired with Ukraine, while Belgium are set to face Greece on the other side of the bracket, with the winners not only booking a place in the Final, but also a ticket to Division A.

Lower-seeded Ukraine registered the only upset of the Quarter-Finals, coming away with a 67-64 win over Group A winners Portugal behind a 28-point performance by Veronika Kosmach, who also added 5 rebounds and 3 steals to her tally.

The Ukrainian side fell behind in the first half of the game, but turned the tables around by outscoring their opponents 27-12 in the third quarter of play before holding off a late Portuguese surge in the final frame.

Vladyslava Kiba added 17 points and 8 rebounds for the winners, Olena Popova also scratched double-figures with 10 points to her name, while Joana Lopes collected a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds for Portugal.

Denmark took a step towards the podium after triumphing 60-43 in an all-Scandinavian bout against Sweden thanks to their dominance inside the paint and a 17-rebound advantage on the glass.

Malene Pedersen finished the contest with 14 points and 3 steals, Katrine Jessen chipped in with a double-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks, while Tova Sabel collected a team-high 13 points and 6 rebounds for Sweden, but also committed 8 turnovers.

Belgium held on against Finland to take a 65-64 win, after Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka set a new tournament-high in scoring with 36 points, while adding 15 rebounds and 4 steals for a total efficiency ranking of 44.

Awak Kuier answered with a double-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals in a losing effort for Finland, who had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but Noora Markkanen's three-point attempt from the corner hit iron.

The Semi-Finals lineup was completed by Greece who passed their most serious test yet by defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 57-44 after a strong second-half display.

Ioanna Chatzileonti paved the path to victory with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Evangelia Kontrafouri chipped in with an equally impressive performance of 15 points, 15 rebounds and 6 steals.

Dragana Zubac collected a team-high 13 points and 7 rebounds for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Marija Keseljevic added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

In the Classification Games for 9-16th places, Switzerland took care of business against Luxembourg 58-35Slovenia blew out Bulgaria 82-47Ireland stormed home with a 70-45 win over Estonia; while Israel defeated the Slovak Republic 58-43.

Lower down in the table, Norway got off to a strong start to the Classification Games for 17-22nd places, picking apart Moldova 60-14, while Iceland inscribed a 78-55 win over Albania.

FIBA