Spain, hosts Greece start strong; Ziyaettin impresses for Türkiye

    Review
    The home side off to a winning start in Heraklion.

    Action got underway in Heraklion with a lot of excitement on the first day.

    HERAKLION (Greece) - Hosts Greece and 2023 champions Spain both got off to a hot start on the first day of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket, which also saw Italy pull of a big comeback over Croatia.

    Stay up to date with the tournament and check out the latest results, group standings and competition system for all the information you need.

    Key Storylines

    • Title holders Spain rack up 123 points in huge success over Finland;

    • Ziyaettin splashes eight threes in 35-point effort for Türkiye;

    • Events hosts Greece powered by Asimenios' double-double;

    • Italy erase early 13-point deficit to overpower Croatia.

    Top Performers

    Omer Ege Ziyaettin also impressed, albeit in Türkiye's 90-85 loss to Latvia. The talented guard gave his all with 35 points on 8 made three-pointers, and also dished out 4 assists. In that same game, Ricards Aizpurs put up 24 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for the winning side.

    Even though Germany squandered a 10-point lead and came up short against Serbia in a 72-69 loss, Lukas Klein impressed at the opening day with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks for a double-double and the efficiency of 30, making it highest of the day.

    Lithuania's Ignas Stombergas was his team's leading name in a 97-40 success over Bulgaria - providing a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, whilst also throwing in 4 blocked shots to the mix.

    Hosts Greece started off right with a 78-59 victory against Israel, powered by Athanasios Asimenios and his all-around performance of 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, enough for an efficiency of 25.

    Results of the Day

    Group A

    Finland 53-123 Spain Latvia 90-85 Türkiye

    Group B

    Bulgaria 40-97 Lithuania Germany 69-72 Serbia

    Group C

    Poland 66-81 Slovenia Georgia 49-74 France

    Group D

    Israel 59-78 Greece Croatia 90-66 Italy

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