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July 2017
8 Goncalo Madureira (POR)
18/07/2017
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Six teams lock up Quarter-Final spots, six teams vie for remaining two

ORADEA (FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B) - There are only two Quarter-Finals spots remaining in the FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B heading into the final day of the Group Phase in Oradea, with Netherlands and Russia vying for the last ticket in Group B and Portugal, Hungary and Kosovo competing in Group D.

Having improved to a 3-1 record in the standings with an 111-68 victory against Azerbaijan, Great Britain wrapped up one of the two qualification spots in Group B and it is now between Russia and Netherlands, currently 2-1, to decide the fate of the remaining one.

If both teams win on Tuesday, the Dutch will be worst positioned in a three-way tie at the top of the standings, meaning they need to win against Azerbaijan and for Russia to lose against Slovak Republic to qualify.

As things stand in Group D, the ticket to the next round is Portugal's to lose, as a win in the remaining contest against Kosovo would see them advance.  A defeat, however, would open up viable qualification paths for both Kosovo and Hungary.

In this scenario, if Hungary were to defeat Ireland on Wednesday, they would hold a favorable position in a three-way tie. Meanwhile, Kosovo would go through, if both Hungary and Portugal suffer defeats.

Croatia booked the top spot in the group with a 95-47 victory against Ireland, Quarter-Finals hopefuls Portugal cruised to an 89-45 victory against Moldova, while Hungary ran away in an 80-55 blowout in a must-win game against Kosovo.

Poland and Belgium are already through in Group A, while Romania and Georgia made early reservations to the next round among Group C teams.

Having already secured passage anyway, Poland slumped to an unexpected 56-47 defeat to the previously winless Armenia, with Steven Enoch leading the way with 26 points and a tournament-high 25 rebounds for the surprise winners.

Meanwhile, Belgium avoided any wastefulness against Belarus, punching their ticket to the next round with an 80-71 victory and simultaneously eliminating their rivals after a 17-point and 12-rebound double-double by Tim Labrecht.

Romania and Georgia booked their places in the Quarter-Finals in Group C with the tournament hosts defeating the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Georgians rolling all over Albania.

The still-undefeated Romanians improved to a 3-0 record after edging the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia out of the race with a 68-63 victory, Emanuel Cate posting his third consecutive double-double, having finished the game with 10 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.

Meanwhile, Georgia, who opened the tournament with a loss to Romania, also won their third-straight game, blowing out Albania 102-53 to secure the second spot in the standings.

FIBA