MISKOLC (Hungary) – Serbia and Hungary booked their tickets to next year’s FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket Division A after hard-fought wins in Saturday’s Semi-Finals of the Division B tournament.
The two teams will meet in Sunday’s Final, while Croatia and Bulgaria face off in the Third Place Game for one last chance at promotion.
Hosts Hungary erased a seven-point first quarter deficit to beat Bulgaria 67-55 in the day's first Semi-Final. After trailing 21-14 early on, Hungary would go on to outscore their opponents 53-34 the rest of the way, employing a hard-nose defensive strategy that limited their opponents to 31 percent shooting from the field.
Tyra Aho led the Hungarian charge with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, while Denitsa Manolova carried Bulgaria with a 20-point effort.
In the other Semi-Final, Serbia's victory was never in doubt as they rolled to a commanding 79-58 win over Croatia. Serbia shot an astounding 14 of 32 from deep (43.8 percent), converted all 13 of their free-throw attempts, and one point held a lead of 26 points, despite losing the rebounding battle 39 to 32.
Jovana Jevtovic was the picture of efficiency for her side, tallying 23 points (on 70 percent shooting) to go with 8 boards and 3 steals.
Croatia never truly threatened their vaunted opponents, despite a strong effort from Olivia Vukosa, who finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Their hopes for promotion to Division A aren't completely quashed, however - they will play Bulgaria in the all-important Third Place Game before the Final on Sunday afternoon.
Final
Serbia vs Hungary
Third Place Game
Croatia vs Bulgaria
FIBA