VALLETTA (Malta) - Albania and Malta secured their spots in the Final of the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket 2026, Division C, where they will battle for the crown after coming through contrasting Semi-Final tests.
Firstly, Albania survived a huge scare from Georgia to remain unbeaten and advance to Sunday's showdown with a dramatic 58-57 victory.
The Group B winners led for most of the contest, but Georgia stayed within striking distance throughout. Their persistence paid off as they took a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, only for Albania to answer in the closing seconds.
With just 21 seconds remaining, Antea Filopati delivered a clever assist for Tania Ema Starova to score the game-winning basket and put Albania back in front, 58-57. Georgia still had one final possession to steal the victory, but Albania's defense held firm to seal the dramatic one-point win.
Helena Byberi once again led Albania with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 8 steals - improving her tournament averages to 28.5 points and 6.5 steals per game. Filopati filled the stat sheet with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals, including the assist on the game-winning basket.
Meanwhile, hosts Malta overcame a determined Armenia challenge to move one win away from the Division C title with a 67-55 victory.
Malta raced into an early 9-0 lead and controlled the opening half before Armenia fought back after the break. Three consecutive three-pointers helped Armenia erase the deficit and briefly move ahead in the third quarter, as the lead changed hands several times.
Malta responded in style, however, as Eve Axisa converted a three-point play with 0.03 seconds left in the third quarter to regain the four-point lead. The hosts carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, where they rebuilt a double-digit advantage to pull away.
Samira Deguara once again led Malta with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Eve Axisa added 15 points, while Adria Xuereb contributed 11 points.
Celine Najarian finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds for Armenia, but her efforts were not enough as Armenia fell short of reaching the Final.
Final:
Albania vs Malta
Third-Place Game:
Georgia vs Armenia
FIBA