LA PALMA (Spain) - Spain vanquished all that came before them with a win over Finland in the FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket 2025 Final, completing an unbeaten competition and a sixth trophy at this age level.
In the Third Place Game, France routed Belgium for a fifth straight podium finish. Elsewhere, Greece was relegated to next year's Division B tournament after losing to Türkiye, joining Portugal and Israel.
Key Storylines
Spain hoist fifth FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket title;
France beat Belgium in the Third Place Game;
Greece relegated after loss to Türkiye, joining Israel and Portugal in Division B next year.
Final
Spain completed an unbeaten FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket on home soil by beating a stubborn Finland side 81-72 in the Final to lift their first title at U18 level since 2015.
Trailing by as many as 21 points in the first half, Finland showed the competitive spirit that has oozed through them in the tournament, and trimmed the gap to 43-31 at the half.
However, despite seeing their lead drop to 56-52 after three quarters, Spain maintained their composure and had too much in the tank, restoring their double-digit cushion during the midway point in the fourth and never relinquishing their advantage.
Sara Okeke shot an impressive 11-for-13 from the field as she led the winners with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, supported by 12 from Mireya Sanz. Ada Luukkanen led Finland with 15 points.
Third Place Game
France ended their FIBA U18 Women's campaign on a positive note as they ruthlessly beat Belgium 72-47 in the Third Place Game.
Unable to repeat as champions at this age group, France will no doubt find consolation in a fifth straight podium finish as Alicia Tournebize led the victors with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Belgium was led by 11 points and 8 rebounds from Laura Vilcinskas, but the team's leading scorer, Jada Lynch, was held to 0-for-7 shooting.
France made their move in the second quarter, following a fairly even first period, outscoring Belgium 24-8 to lead 42-25 at the half. From there, the Belgian Cats struggled to narrow the gap, committing 24 turnovers, 13 of which occurred in the first half, and were not helped further by an 11-0 start to the third by the French, which solidified their dominance.
Top Performers
It took until the final day, but Serbia guard Jovana Popovic cracked open the triple-double safe for the first time, as she set the highest efficiency rating of the tournament with 44, going for 22 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists in the Serbs’ 75-51 win over Montenegro in the Classification 7-8 Game. Popovic also shot a magnificent 8-for-9 from the field, which included three triples, as she was simply glorious to watch.
Türkiye avoided relegation to Division B by routing Greece 71-48 in the Classification 13-14 Game. A huge part of their final day success was the strong performance from Türkiye’s Seyma Yilik, who shone with 17 points, 13 rebounds, with seven of those coming on the offensive glass, plus 3 assists for a rating of 33.
Alicia Tournebize made sure France would land on the podium as she outlined her authority on the game by shooting 5-for-7 in the first half and 8-for-12 overall for a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, earning her a rating of 31 in their 72-47 win over Belgium.
On the biggest stage of them all, Spain's Sara Okeke shone and led the hosts to the promised land, posting 23 points on 11-for-13 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks as Spain beat Finland 81-72 in the Final to lift the trophy.
Maria Burliga’s statstuffing 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks ended Poland’s Spanish adventure on a high as they beat Italy 69-60 to secure fifth place at FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket. Burliga shot an impressive 50 percent from the field and connected on all eight of her free throws for an efficiency rating of 27.
Results of the Day
Final
Spain 81-72 Finland
Third Place Game
France 72-47 Belgium
Classification 5-6
Italy 60-69 Poland
Classification 7-8
Serbia 75-51 Montenegro
Classification 9-10
Latvia 60-66 Hungary
Classification 11-12
Czechia 52-46 Slovenia
Classification 13-14
Greece 48-71 Türkiye
Classification 15-16
Portugal 58-52 Israel
FIBA