CELJE (2015 U18 European Championship Women) - Spain and France maintained their unbeaten records to become the first Quarter-Final qualifiers at the U18 European Championship Women, while Czech Republic handed hosts Slovenia their first defeat.

France held on to beat Portugal 50-44 despite a defiant second-half comeback after the French had led by as many as 18 in the first half. Gassa Djaldi-Tabdi top-scored with 14 points and Alexia Chartereau added a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.

Spain joined the French at the top of Group E with a dominant 83-52 win over Israel, surging clear on the back of a run of 22 unanswered points in the third quarter. Ainhoa Lopez filled the box score, top-scoring with 19 points and adding 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

Russia took a firm grip on third place in Group E with a 64-53 defeat of Italy. The post battle between Russia's Raisa Musina and Italy's Jasmine Keys was the highlight of the game, with the former finishing with an impressive line of 22 points, 18 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Group F is much more finely-poised, with three teams tied at the top with 2-1 records. Hosts Slovenia saw their three-game winning streak snapped by a powerful performance from Czech Republic, who won a tense fourth-quarter battle to take a 62-58 win. Petra Holesinska made key shots down the stretch to finish alongside center Julia Reisingerova with a team-high 13 points.

Netherlands dug themselves a 14-point first-half hole before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 53-46 win over Hungary, Janis Ndiba inspirational with 22 points and 13 boards. Belgium kept their hopes of qualifying alive with a 55-51 win over Croatia, spurred by Sofia Ouahabi's 14 points and Elise Ramette's crucial three-pointer down the stretch.

Lithuania and Poland picked up their first wins of the tournament in classification action, with Lithuania beating Estonia 67-44 and Poland taking down Serbia 64-56. Agne Bobinaite hit five three-pointers on the way to a game-high 22 points for Lithuania, while Julia Niemojewska and Zuzanna Puc led Poland with 13 points apiece.

Go to http://u18women.fibaeurope.com/en/default.asp for complete coverage of the 2015 U18 European Championship Women.

FIBA