YEREVAN (Armenia) - Croatia and Latvia have earned their spots at the 2026 edition of FIBA U20 EuroBasket, and did so winning their Division B Semi-Final matchups against Türkiye and Switzerland, respectively.
Croatia punched their Division A ticket with a 109-86 win over Türkiye in the battle of previously unbeaten, even though the beginning suggested otherwise; Türkiye raced out of the blocks to an early 9-1 lead after just two minutes, an advantage that reached 11 points at the first break.
However, Croatia quickly responded with a 10-0 run and not long after Dino Subasic's free throws gave Croatia their fist lead of the game at 39-37.
Croatia continued their run to take 53-46 edge at the half and then completely broke their opponents with 13 unanswered points to start the third quarter and break trough the psychological barrier of 20-point lead. All that was left for Croatia is to run down the clock to a 109-86 win and a promotion.
2018 runners-up will play at the elite level in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket after a two-year Division B stint. Andro Mirceta proved to be a spark from the bench with 20 points and 3 made three-pointers, whereas his club teammate Toni Torbarina also knocked down three shots from beyond the arc for 17 points.
However, Dino Subasic was the team's top performer with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. For Türkiye, Emre Melih Tunca made 14 free throws on his way to 24 points and Ozgur Cengiz tallied 22 points.
Croatia will compete for the crown in the Sunday's Final against Latvia, whereas Türkiye will enter the clash for the last promotion ticket with Switzerland.
It has been decided so after the second Semi-Finals game that saw Latvia completely overturn Switzerland's early lead and build their own 24-point edge at the half, thanks to Rolands Sulc's shooting bonanza and a 18-0 run in the second quarter.
Sulcs was on perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the three-point line at the half-time break already and it was a smooth sailing from then on for Latvia. The lead remained steadily around that area until the final buzzer for Latvia's 75-55 win and a return to Division A after 2019.
Rolands Sulcs finished off with 20 points and stayed on 4 three-pointers made, also adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists to the mix. Francis Neilands tallied 10 points, whereas Janis Jinemanis put up 8 points with 17 rebounds and 4 steals, a stellar defensive showing from the big man.
Croatia and Latvia will play for the Division B gold on Sunday - a feat that Croatia will look to replicate after 2012 as Latvia has a 2018 bronze medal in their collection, next to Division A silver.
Semi-Finals
Croatia 109-86 Türkiye Latvia 75-55 Switzerland
Final
Croatia vs Latvia
Third-Place Game
Türkiye vs Switzerland
FIBA