Day 6: Serbia and Belgium win Semis; Greece and Turkey relegated
Sopron (FIBA U18 European Championship 2017) - Serbia and Belgium will contest the Final after pulsating victories on Day 6. Serbia dismantled defending champions France in the Semi-Final with a withering 19-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters.
It turned the game on its head leading to a convincing 66-48 victory after France had dominated the early stages of the game. Serbia captain Ivana Katanic had 22 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds, while France captain Tima Pouye had 19 points.
In the other Semi-Final, Belgium had a 63-49 victory over previously unbeaten Czech Republic. After a slow start, Belgium lifted their famed defensive intensity to stifle the Czech Republic, whose fairytale tournament was halted. Belgium was led by inspirational captain Billie Massey's 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Veronika Vorackova had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Czech Republic.
At the other end of the spectrum, Turkey have been relegated to Division B after a hard-fought loss to Latvia in Classification 13-16 action. The game was tight throughout but Latvia had the edge and eventually prevailed 67-63.
Greece will return to Division B after suffering a 96-57 loss to Lithuania. Lithuania dominated from the get-go and never took their foot off the pedal. It means Lithuania and Latvia will meet on Day 7 in a must-win battle to remain in Division A.
In the other games, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Paloma Gonzalez gave Spain a thrilling 63-62 victory over an unlucky Slovenia in Classification 5-8 action. Trailing by 2 points with seconds left, Gonzalez dribbled the ball past half-court and successfully banked it from well beyond the arc. It was a heartbreaking end for Slovenia, who held the edge for much of the game.
Hosts Hungary took control of their Classification 5-8 game against Sweden during a dominant final quarter. They held Sweden to just 4 points for the quarter to win 59-43.
Italy continued their strong tournament with a 71-62 victory over Russia in Classification 9-12 action. It was a close encounter most of the way but Italy dominated the final quarter to win their fifth game of the tournament.
Croatia won their second consecutive game with an easy 80-52 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Classification 9-12 action. Croatia came out fast and never let their opponents into the contest.
You can follow how the day's play unfolded in the Live updates.
Check out full replays on YouTube.com/FIBA
FIBA
