DUBLIN (FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B) - Poland pulled away late to grab themselves a winning start at the tournament, following a game that featured no double digit leads.

Bulgaria tied the game at 69-apiece with a minute-and-a-half to go, but Poland got the job done with terrific defense, holding the Bulgarians scoreless over the last 90 seconds. The Polish ladies scored the last five points to finish the game at 74-69.

Natalia Klimek led the crucial run for Poland, and she was also the key contributor with 21 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and a couple of rebounds. Karina Konstantinova's 16-point, 5-assist game went to waste for Bulgaria.

Also in Group A, Portugal handed Estonia an 83-56 defeat as Ana Ramos scored a game-high 15 points. Luxembourg had a 12-point lead over Finland, but blew it all in the second half - Finland's 20-9 final quarter sealed the deal in a 59-54 win. Magdalene Agyei was the glue girl for Finland with 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks and +10 while she was on the court.

Group B saw Denmark withdraw from the tournament, giving Albania a 20-0 win on paper. On the court, Germany had a demonstration of power with a 104-31 blowout against Iceland. Paula Kohl, Luisa Geiselsoder and Nyara Sabally combined for 48 points on the winning side. Belarus had no trouble against Austria, as Maryia Vasileuka put up 22 points in a 79-41 win.

In Group C, the Netherlands enjoyed a solid group effort, beating Georgia 84-50. Israel's Shir Tirosh was all over the place with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, leading them to a 76-38 win over Norway, and Nicoleta Ghita had 16 points and 6 rebounds as Romania handed Switzerland a 75-39 loss.

In Group D, the hosts were off to a quick start. Claire Melia's 12-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist performance was too much to handle for MKD, allowing Ireland to win the game 89-43. Great Britain survived a massive explosion of Oksana Fastova, who had 20 points, 7 steals and 4 assists for Ukraine. Holly Winterburn led a more balanced attack by Team GB, she had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, all team-highs in an 80-63 British triumph.

By far the most dominant performance of the day belonged to Slovak Republic. All 12 players scored 7 points or more, nine of them were in double figures, and Sona Svetlikova led them all with 25 points, 9 steals and 7 rebounds in less than 20 minutes on the floor against Moldova. The final score 157-21 will give Slovak Republic a boost of confidence for the rest of the U18 Women's European Championship, Division B.

FIBA