PEJA (Kosovo) - The final four spots for the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket, Division C are officially locked in after an exciting final day of group action.
Hosts Kosovo completed a flawless group campaign with a commanding 72-61 victory over Armenia in front of their home crowd.
Malvina Haziri led the charge with a big performance of 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Lena Gocaj contributed 14 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals.
Gianna Keklikian put up a valiant effort for Armenia with a team-high 21 points, but her performance was unfortunately not enough to turn the game around.
Earlier in the day, Cyprus recovered from an early deficit to beat Malta 65-53, finishing top of Group A with a perfect 2-0 record and remaining unbeaten heading into the Semi-Finals.
Malta made the brighter start and led 19-11 after the opening quarter, but Cyprus completely turned the game around over the next two periods. They outscored Malta 42-20 across the second and third quarters to seize control, taking a 37-30 halftime lead before extending the margin to 53-39 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Katerina Shakalli paced Cyprus with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding 3 assists. Isabelle Hadjichristodoulou contributed 13 points, including a late three-pointer that helped Cyprus maintain a comfortable advantage in the closing stages.
Meanwhile, Georgia used a dominant second half to defeat Gibraltar 77-44 and secure a place in the Semi-Finals.
After trailing for much of the second quarter, Georgia regained the lead before the break and then took complete control after halftime, outscoring Gibraltar 45-15 across the third and fourth quarters, including a decisive 24-7 third period that turned a closely contested game into a comfortable victory.
Nitsa Sabadashvili starred with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Elene Niguriani added 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Briella Bagu finished with 15 points to lead Gibraltar, but the team struggled to protect the ball, committing 35 turnovers as their hopes of reaching the Semi-Finals came to an end.
With the victory locked in, Group B leaders Kosovo moved on to setup a Semi-Final matchup against Malta, while Group A winners Cyprus will take on Georgia in the other final four clash.
Semi-Finals
Cyprus vs Georgia Kosovo vs Malta
FIBA