AUSTRIA (FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2018, Division B) – Belarus and Lithuania claimed the first pair of promotion spots at the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2018, Division B after coming out on top in the Semi-Finals on Saturday evening in Oberwart.

Having secured Division A status for next year, the geographic neighbors are set to meet in Sunday's title clash, while the Semi-Final losers Israel and Turkey will battle for promotion in the Third-Place Game.

Still undefeated in the tournament, Belarus continued their winning streak with an 83-73 triumph over Israel, with Kseniya Malashka filling the boxscore with 19 points, 21 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

The third ticket to Division A will be on the line, when Israel and Turkey meet in the Third-Place Game on Sunday

Nastassia Siarchenia collected a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Daryna Bachkarova chipped in with a solid contribution of 16 points and 7 assists. Despite going just 6-of-15 from the field, Daniel Karsh finished the contest as Israel's top scorer, racking up 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

In the other Semi-Final, Lithuania overpowered Turkey 69-49 with a powerful second-half performance. Starting the game slow, the Baltic side came alive after the half-time interval and outscored their Turkish opponents 43-19 in the third and fourth quarters.

Kristina Masionyte led the way for Lithuania with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals, while Gabija Segzdaite just nearly missed out on a triple-double with 12 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. Goksen Fitik and Erdenay Topcu were the only players in double figures on the other side of the barricades, collecting 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Kristina Masionyte was Lithuania's top scorer again

Evelien Lutje Schipholt put together a remarkable 19-point and 18-rebound double-double to give the Netherlands a 75-70 victory against Finland in the Classification Games 5-8, while the Rita Oliveira-led Portugal inscribed a 72-58 win over Ukraine to rebound after the Quarter-Final defeat to Lithuania.

Romania continued their classification campaign with a 55-50 victory over Luxembourg, as Irina Parau came up big with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Meanwhile, Great Britain beat Greece 67-60 behind Charlotte Ellmore's double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Further down in the table, Denmark got the better of Switzerland with a 73-63 win and Slovakia scored a 65-60 win over Cyprus in the Classification Games 13-16.  

Finland suffered their second defeat in a row

After five defeats in a row to start the tournament, the hosts Austria registered their second consecutive victory by topping Iceland 72-63. The Stano Stelzhammer-coached side will play former Group Phase opponents Montenegro for 17th place on Sunday after they got a 79-52 win over Bulgaria.

In the Classification Games 21-24, Kosovo got on the board with a 44-43 nail-biting win over Georgia, while Albania dominated Norway 76-50 for their first win of the tournament as well.

FIBA