Fabulous France end near decade wait for silverware; Spain bounce back with bronze

KLAIPEDA / VILNIUS (Lithuania) - A nine year wait for FIBA U20 Women's European Championship silverware ended for France on Sunday after they beat Latvia behind the classy leadership of MVP Carla Leite.

A threat and standout for her team since the first ball of the tournament was thrown up, she fittingly helped France seal the deal in their one-sided 85-59 win. France had one hand on the silverware after a truly scoring first period when they outscored their opponents 29-11.

With the dial turned up on their trademark defense, they coasted to victory as Leite scored 20 points. There was also a stellar showing from Ines Debroise who jumped onto the radar with a perfectly timed 18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Latvia duo Luize Sila and Vanesa Jasa shared 34 points for the silver medalists. 

Key Storylines

- France claim fourth FIBA U20 Women's European Championship crown as Latvia settle for first ever silver medal
- Carla Leite named MVP to headline All-Star Five
- 2022 winners Spain take the last podium step after sweeping past Serbia in the Third Place Game.

Top Performers

Nicola Batura signed off her participation with Poland with a flourish as she recorded a last day high performance efficiency valuation of 31. She amassed it after helping to sink Montenegro 86-63, contributing 22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. 

The second-best efficiency of 27 came in the Third Place game as Txell Alarcon caught the eye for Spain in winning bronze - posting 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists for good measure.

No fewer than three different players all shared performance efficiency valuations of 26, including Swedish teammates who combined to take down Czech Republic 81-73. Diana Collins had a game-high 27 points in the contest and added 3 assists and 2 steals.

Emma Johansson was also impressive as she fueled Sweden with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals.

Also weighing in with the same efficiency was Melinda Miklos who excelled for Hungary with a red-hot 19 points, 9 assists and 6 steals during a narrow 71-68 loss to Finland.

Results of the Day

Final

Latvia 59-85 France

Third Place Game

Serbia 36-94 Spain

Classification Games

Portugal 64-75 Italy
Turkey 57-81 Israel
Hungary 68-71 Finland
Poland 86-63 Montenegro
Sweden 83-71 Czech Republic
Lithuania 59-67 Belgium

FIBA