FIBA Basketball

    Day 1 recap: Turkey battle to opening victory, Jocyte shoots the lights out for Lithuania

    MUNICH (Germany) - There were plenty of impressive displays as teams and players hit the ground running as the FIBA U18 Women's European Challengers began across five cities on Tuesday.

    MUNICH (Germany) - There were plenty of impressive displays as teams and players hit the ground running as the FIBA U18 Women's European Challengers began across five cities on Tuesday.

    Headlines:

    - Strong finish lifts Portugal past Germany in Riga
    - Juste Jocyte stars in Lithuania win, Turkey hold on in Klatovy
    - France, Poland, Spain make winning starts in Heraklion
    - Hosts Bulgaria victorious in Sofia after beating Swiss
    - Cyprus, Malta emphatic winners in Andorra la Vella

    Day 1 Standout Performers:

    Riga: Dorja Iva Zaja (CRO) - 25 PTS / 13 REB / 2 BLK 
    Riga: Ines Vieira (POR) - 23 PTS / 4 AST / 5 STL
    Klatovy: Juste Jocyte (LTU) - 26 PTS / 8 REB / 5 AST / 6 3PT
    Heraklion: Marta Maslowska (POL) - 10 PTS / 9 REB / 9 AST
    Sofia: Iliyana Georgieva (BUL) - 28 PTS / 14 REB / 3 BLK
    Sofia: Khrystyna Kulesha (UKR) - 23 PTS / 8 REB / 71% FG
    Andorra la Vella: Ylenia Bonett (MLT) - 25 PTS / 14 REB / 9 STL

    Riga Challenger:

    Group A

    3/15 games played

      GAMES GAME POINTS POINTS
    # Team P W L % For Agt +/- FA AA  
    1  Russia 1 1 0 100 92 38 54 92 38 2
    2  Croatia 1 1 0 100 73 58 15 73 58 2
    3  Portugal 1 1 0 100 67 53 14 67 53 2
    4  Germany 1 0 1 0 53 67 -14 53 67 1
    5  Latvia 1 0 1 0 58 73 -15 58 73 1
    6  Romania 1 0 1 0 38 92 -54 38 92 1

    Gameday 1 results: Portugal bookended their 67-53 success against Germany with dominant quarters with Ines Vieira leading the way with a 23-point haul along with 5 steals. Russia ran out dominant 92-38 winners over Romania in the opener, while Croatia battled past the hosts, Latvia, in a 73-58 success as Dorja Iva Zaja posted 25 points and 14 rebounds. 

    Klatovy Challenger:

    Group B

    3/15 games played

      GAMES GAME POINTS POINTS
    # Team P W L % For Agt +/- FA AA  
    1  Lithuania 1 1 0 100 86 47 39 86 47 2
    2  Serbia 1 1 0 100 65 40 25 65 40 2
    3  Turkey 1 1 0 100 50 47 3 50 47 2
    4  Hungary 1 0 1 0 47 50 -3 47 50 1
    5  Czech Republic 1 0 1 0 40 65 -25 40 65 1
    6  Ireland 1 0 1 0 47 86 -39 47 86 1

    Gameday 1 results: Juste Jocyte starred for Lithuania with six triples in a 26-point haul along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists in their convincing 86-47 victory against Ireland. Meanwhile, Turkey held on to beat Hungary 50-47 as Selin Gul had 14 points and 10 rebounds with Serbia using a 20-4 start as a platform for their 65-40 win against Czech Republic.

    Heraklion Challenger:

    Group C

    3/15 games played

      GAMES GAME POINTS POINTS
    # Team P W L % For Agt +/- FA AA  
    1  France 1 1 0 100 72 41 31 72 41 2
    2  Poland 1 1 0 100 61 37 24 61 37 2
    3  Spain 1 1 0 100 55 42 13 55 42 2
    4  Israel 1 0 1 0 42 55 -13 42 55 1
    5  Greece 1 0 1 0 37 61 -24 37 61 1
    6  Slovakia 1 0 1 0 41 72 -31 41 72 1

    Gameday 1 results: Marta Maslowska had 10 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals as Poland claimed a comfortable 61-37 win against Greece. Meanwhile, Spain used an all-round team effort to overcome Israel in a 55-42 success with France also victorious as they beat Slovakia, 72-41, after making a 25-2 start in the first quarter.

    Sofia Challenger:

    Group D

    3/15 games played

      GAMES GAME POINTS POINTS
    # Team P W L % For Agt +/- FA AA  
    1  Slovenia 1 1 0 100 90 21 69 90 21 2
    2  Ukraine 1 1 0 100 69 52 17 69 52 2
    3  Bulgaria 1 1 0 100 67 50 17 67 50 2
    4  North Macedonia 1 0 1 0 52 69 -17 52 69 1
    5  Switzerland 1 0 1 0 50 67 -17 50 67 1
    6  Albania 1 0 1 0 21 90 -69 21 90 1

    Gameday 1 results: Hosts Bulgaria got off to the perfect start as they overcame Switzerland in a 67-50 victory as Iliyana Georgieva posted 28 points and 14 rebounds. Slovenia were the biggest winners of the day as they had a 19-0 second quarter on their way to beating Albania, 90-21, while Ukraine had a 69-52 success over North Macedonia.

    Andorra la Vella Challenger:

    Group F

    2/6 games played

      GAMES GAME POINTS POINTS
    # Team P W L % For Agt +/- FA AA  
    1  Cyprus 1 1 0 100 95 34 61 95 34 2
    2  Malta 1 1 0 100 90 37 53 90 37 2
    3  Moldova 1 0 1 0 37 90 -53 37 90 1
    4  Andorra 1 0 1 0 34 95 -61 34 95 1

    Gameday 1 results: There was a near triple-double as Ylenia Bonett finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 9 steals to lead Malta to a 90-37 victory over Moldova in the opening game. Cyprus then followed suit with an even bigger win as they defeated Andorra, 95-34, as seven Cypriot players scored 8 or more points against the hosts.

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