Spain, Lithuania win last eight thrillers; Italy, France also book tickets to FIBA U17 World Cup 2024
SKOPJE (North Macedonia) - Spain broke the hearts of Slovenia in a back-and-forth showdown to reach the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023 and also join France, Italy and Lithuania.
SKOPJE (North Macedonia) - Spain broke the hearts of Slovenia in a back-and-forth showdown that was decided in the waning seconds to reach the Semi-Finals and also join France, Italy and Lithuania in booking tickets to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024.
Stay up to date with the tournament and check out the latest results, group standings and competition system for all the information you need.
Key Storylines
- Andy Heulves' layup with 14 seconds left gives Spain win, breaks hearts of Slovenia;
- Diego Garavaglia sparks Italy past Germany into first U17 World Cup since 2014;
- France steamroll past Greece for fifth straight top four showing;
- Reigning champs Lithuania rally from 12 points down to beat Serbia.
Top Performers
The top performer for the Quarter-Finals day was Mark Morano with an efficiency of 34 in Slovenia's heart-breaking loss to Spain. He scored a tournament-high 36 points as he made 12-of-25 shots and 7-of-9 free throws and also contributed 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
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Diego Garavaglia carried Italy to a big win over Germany as he registered an efficiency of 31. He poured in 26 points - including the final 12 points of the game for the Italians - on 7-of-13 shooting and 9-of-9 free throws. He also picked up 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
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France had no trouble getting past Greece and a major reason for that was Jonas Boulefaa and his efficiency of 27. He tallied 22 points on 10-of-16 shots and 0-of-1 free throws, 12 rebounds and 1 steal.
Spain needed everything they could muster to get past Slovenia and that was thanks in large part to Guillermo Del Pino and his 24 efficiency. The guard scored 26 points as he hit 9-of-17 shots and both of his free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
The other top showing came from Kaan Onat of Turkey with a 24 efficiency in a win over Israel. Onat converted on 7-of-16 shots and 6-of-8 free throws for 20 points and added 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.
Results of the Day
Quarter-Finals
Italy 75-56 Germany
France 86-72 Greece
Slovenia 79-82 Spain
Lithuania 66-63 Serbia
Classification 9-16
Belgium 58-76 Poland
Montenegro 65-74 Finland
North Macedonia 46-57 Latvia
Turkey 85-49 Israel
Semi-Finals Pairings
Italy v France
Spain v Lithuania
Classification 5-8 Pairings
Germany v Greece
Slovenia v Serbia
Classification 9-12 Pairings
Poland v Finland
Latvia v Turkey
Classification 13-16 Pairings
Belgium v Montenegro
North Macedonia v Israel
FIBA