Day 1 recap: Turkey battle to opening victory, Jocyte shoots the lights out for Lithuania
MUNICH (Germany) - There were plenty of impressive displays as teams and players hit the ground running as the FIBA U18 Women's European Challengers began across five cities on Tuesday.
Headlines:
- Strong finish lifts Portugal past Germany in Riga
- Juste Jocyte stars in Lithuania win, Turkey hold on in Klatovy
- France, Poland, Spain make winning starts in Heraklion
- Hosts Bulgaria victorious in Sofia after beating Swiss
- Cyprus, Malta emphatic winners in Andorra la Vella
Day 1 Standout Performers:
Riga: Dorja Iva Zaja (CRO) - 25 PTS / 13 REB / 2 BLK
Riga: Ines Vieira (POR) - 23 PTS / 4 AST / 5 STL
Klatovy: Juste Jocyte (LTU) - 26 PTS / 8 REB / 5 AST / 6 3PT
Heraklion: Marta Maslowska (POL) - 10 PTS / 9 REB / 9 AST
Sofia: Iliyana Georgieva (BUL) - 28 PTS / 14 REB / 3 BLK
Sofia: Khrystyna Kulesha (UKR) - 23 PTS / 8 REB / 71% FG
Andorra la Vella: Ylenia Bonett (MLT) - 25 PTS / 14 REB / 9 STL
Riga Challenger:
Group A
3/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Russia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 92 | 38 | 54 | 92 | 38 | 2 |
| 2 |  Croatia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 73 | 58 | 15 | 73 | 58 | 2 |
| 3 |  Portugal |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 67 | 53 | 14 | 67 | 53 | 2 |
| 4 |  Germany |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 67 | -14 | 53 | 67 | 1 |
| 5 |  Latvia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 73 | -15 | 58 | 73 | 1 |
| 6 |  Romania |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 92 | -54 | 38 | 92 | 1 |
Gameday 1 results: Portugal bookended their 67-53 success against Germany with dominant quarters with Ines Vieira leading the way with a 23-point haul along with 5 steals. Russia ran out dominant 92-38 winners over Romania in the opener, while Croatia battled past the hosts, Latvia, in a 73-58 success as Dorja Iva Zaja posted 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Klatovy Challenger:
Group B
3/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Lithuania |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 86 | 47 | 39 | 86 | 47 | 2 |
| 2 |  Serbia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 65 | 40 | 25 | 65 | 40 | 2 |
| 3 |  Turkey |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 50 | 47 | 3 | 50 | 47 | 2 |
| 4 |  Hungary |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 50 | -3 | 47 | 50 | 1 |
| 5 |  Czech Republic |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 65 | -25 | 40 | 65 | 1 |
| 6 |  Ireland |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 86 | -39 | 47 | 86 | 1 |
Gameday 1 results: Juste Jocyte starred for Lithuania with six triples in a 26-point haul along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists in their convincing 86-47 victory against Ireland. Meanwhile, Turkey held on to beat Hungary 50-47 as Selin Gul had 14 points and 10 rebounds with Serbia using a 20-4 start as a platform for their 65-40 win against Czech Republic.
Heraklion Challenger:
Group C
3/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  France |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 72 | 41 | 31 | 72 | 41 | 2 |
| 2 |  Poland |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 61 | 37 | 24 | 61 | 37 | 2 |
| 3 |  Spain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 55 | 42 | 13 | 55 | 42 | 2 |
| 4 |  Israel |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 55 | -13 | 42 | 55 | 1 |
| 5 |  Greece |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 61 | -24 | 37 | 61 | 1 |
| 6 |  Slovakia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 72 | -31 | 41 | 72 | 1 |
Gameday 1 results: Marta Maslowska had 10 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals as Poland claimed a comfortable 61-37 win against Greece. Meanwhile, Spain used an all-round team effort to overcome Israel in a 55-42 success with France also victorious as they beat Slovakia, 72-41, after making a 25-2 start in the first quarter.
Sofia Challenger:
Group D
3/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Slovenia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 90 | 21 | 69 | 90 | 21 | 2 |
| 2 |  Ukraine |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 69 | 52 | 17 | 69 | 52 | 2 |
| 3 |  Bulgaria |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 67 | 50 | 17 | 67 | 50 | 2 |
| 4 |  North Macedonia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 69 | -17 | 52 | 69 | 1 |
| 5 |  Switzerland |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 67 | -17 | 50 | 67 | 1 |
| 6 |  Albania |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 90 | -69 | 21 | 90 | 1 |
Gameday 1 results: Hosts Bulgaria got off to the perfect start as they overcame Switzerland in a 67-50 victory as Iliyana Georgieva posted 28 points and 14 rebounds. Slovenia were the biggest winners of the day as they had a 19-0 second quarter on their way to beating Albania, 90-21, while Ukraine had a 69-52 success over North Macedonia.
Andorra la Vella Challenger:
Group F
2/6 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Cyprus |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 95 | 34 | 61 | 95 | 34 | 2 |
| 2 |  Malta |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 90 | 37 | 53 | 90 | 37 | 2 |
| 3 |  Moldova |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 90 | -53 | 37 | 90 | 1 |
| 4 |  Andorra |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 95 | -61 | 34 | 95 | 1 |
Gameday 1 results: There was a near triple-double as Ylenia Bonett finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 9 steals to lead Malta to a 90-37 victory over Moldova in the opening game. Cyprus then followed suit with an even bigger win as they defeated Andorra, 95-34, as seven Cypriot players scored 8 or more points against the hosts.
FIBA
