ORADEA (Romania) - Latvia emerged victorious in a monumental display over France to claim the FIBA U16 EuroBasket title for the first time on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Spain took the final podium spot - collecting their 22nd overall medal at the U16 level - after a thrilling victory over Lithuania in the Third Place Game.
Key Storylines
Latvia's third-quarter blitz steers them past France to land maiden U16 title;
Spain seal podium spot with narrow win over Lithuania;
Sela triple-double sinks Belgium, as they drop to Division B next year.
Latvia claim magical first-ever U16 title
Latvia's fairytale produced the best ending possible; using a third-quarter surge to beat France 75-69 and lift their first U16 title.
With France holding a slender 33-32 lead at the break, the game remained evenly poised; it came down to who would make the first telling run to decide the Final, as the biggest lead for either team in the first two quarters was five points.
And it was Latvia who made that telling run that changed the game, outscoring their opponents 24-11 and holding on for victory. Benjamin Berrouet led the way with a customary double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Messie-Guethan Iwani led France with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
Spain withstand pressure to beat Lithuania in Third Place Game
After leading the entire game, Spain had to survive a late onslaught from Lithuania to secure a podium finish with a narrow 96-93 win in the Third Place Game.
Jan Martin would drain the game-winning free throws for Spain with 14 seconds left, but before that, Lithuania had narrowed the gap to 94-93 with a triple from Danielius Jasikevicius. The Lithuanians had a chance to take the game to overtime at the buzzer, but Jasikevicius couldn't connect.
Rhys Robinson amassed 16 points to lead Spain, as he went 6-for-9 from the floor. Pablo Mera added 14 along with 7 assists. Jasikevicius had a game-high 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for Lithuania.
Top Performers
It was a performance to remember for Maor Sela of Israel, as he joined elite company following his side’s 85-68 win over Belgium. Sela had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double that sealed the win and sent Belgium down to Division B.
The evergreen Benjamin Berrouet left his mark in this year's tournament, leading the way in both points and rebounds. His final act was a stunning double-double of 20 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in their win over France in the Final.
Czechia ended its U16 EuroBasket on a high with a 90-82 victory over Italy to finish 11th. Matej Snobl hit six three-pointers as he went for 35 points, along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a display of offensive dominance.
A Luka Panic basket with two seconds left gave Serbia a 75-73 win over Turkiye in a thrilling battle for 9th place. However, despite Panic’s heroics, it was Marko Avdalovic who stole the overall spotlight, as he flirted with a double-double of 19 points and 8 rebounds, as well as 3 assists.
After trailing for the entire Semi-Final, Lithuania were in desperation mode towards the end and nearly succeeded in beating Spain in the final seconds, but fell agonizingly short. Rapolas Klisauskas had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a tremendous effort, but in vain.
Results of the Day
Final
France 69-75 Latvia
Third Place Game
Lithuania 93-96 Spain
Classification 5-6
Germany 85-77 Greece
Classification 7-8
Romania 62-88 Poland
Classification 9-10
Türkiye 73-75 Serbia
Classification 11-12
Italy 82-90 Czechia
Classification 13-14
Israel 85-68 Belgium
Classification 15-16
Georgia 66-67 Slovenia
FIBA