PITESTI (Romania) - Spain once again reigned supreme, beating Slovenia to retain their FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket title.
The triumph extended their winning streak in the competition to 15 games, dating back to 2024, while also securing a landmark 20th medal at this age group - a phenomenal achievement.
Elsewhere, France claimed third place at Latvia's expense to finish the tournament on a positive note.
Key Storylines
Spain on top again, overpowering Slovenia in the Final;
France comfortably see off Latvia to take third;
Grunkyte hits rare triple-double for Lithuania.
Spain's strong start sees them beat Slovenia to lift title again
Spain raced ahead early and never looked back, as they convincingly defeated Slovenia 87-40 in the Final to claim their 12th championship - and 20th medal overall.
After taking a 39-19 lead into the break, Spain kept their foot on the gas, creating more breathing space between them and their counterparts, whom they beat in last year's Final as well. Slovenia showed glimpses of how they got to the showpiece game, but by then, the Spanish were too far ahead.
Paula Reynal led the back-to-back champions with 18 points and 5 rebounds, helped along by Sara Fernandez's 13. Anais Gobec had 9 points for Slovenia, who, for the second straight year, settled for second.
France dismiss Latvia to take final podium spot
France controlled the tempo and eventually pulled away with a 78-58 victory over Latvia in the Third Place Game.
Despite giving Latvia a little hope, France led 52-43 going into the fourth quarter and remained in command. Then, they ambushed their Latvian counterparts to seal a comfortable victory and go to the podium.
Sharone Zomo anchored France's effort with a double-double, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in just 19 minutes. Marta Petersone led Latvia with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Top Performers
Romania and Bulgaria put on an exciting Classification 15-16 game. Sara-Maria Drutu was outstanding, as she had 24 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in Romania’s 65-61 win.
Nada Maksimovic led Serbia to a seventh-place finish with a comprehensive 73-54 success over Germany. Maksimovic had a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. She also swatted away three shots in her haul.
Kotryna Grunkyte entered rare company as she led Lithuania to a 70-67 win over Croatia. The point guard had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a fantastic triple-double showing.
It was a disappointing tournament for Bulgaria, who finished winless in their seven games, but they came close to beating Romania in a thrilling clash. Anelia Yordanova led the way in their final game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
Israel managed to hang on for a 58-53 win over Italy in the battle for 13th, as Michal Abudram starred with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 steals to lead Israel to the victory.
Results of the Day
Final
Slovenia 40-87 Spain
Third Place Game
France 78-58 Latvia
Classification 5-6
Türkiye 59-70 Hungary
Classification 7-8
Germany 54-73 Serbia
Classification 9-10
Poland 63-62 Czechia
Classification 11-12
Croatia 67-70 Lithuania
Classification 13-14
Italy 53-58 Israel
Classification 15-16
Bulgaria 71-75 Romania
FIBA