Hosts Andorra set for Final showdown with Azerbaijan

ANDORRA LA VELLA (Andorra) - Hosts Andorra and Azerbaijan will compete to be crowned champions of the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2023, Division C after they both won their respective Semi-Finals on Saturday.

Andorra have ensured that they will win their first medal at the event since 2016, where they won a silver medal, while Azerbaijan will claim their first ever medal in the competition.

In the first Semi-Final, Andorra edged out Malta in a low scoring game, 36-34. Andrea Cobo continued her strong tournament, finishing with a well-rounded stat line of 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 3 assists.

Sarah Fenech was a bright spot in defeat for Malta, as she recorded a double-double of 13 points and 21 rebounds to go with 2 assists and 2 steals.

In a thrilling second Semi-Final, Azerbaijan defeated Georgia 74-72 on a game-winning rebound and putback by Shilan Akbingol, who also recorded a huge double-double of 15 points and 22 rebounds, along with 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks - playing the full 40 minutes.

Georgia held an eight-point lead in the final quarter, but Azerbaijan erased it thanks to an 18-8 run to close the game. Salome Svani scored a game-high 23 points for Georgia in defeat but missed all eight of her three-point attempts.

Elsewhere, in the Classification Games 5-8, Armenia took down Moldova 75-58 after trailing by as many as 10 points, thanks to a huge all-around game from Seda Gabrielyan who posted 41 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals and 5 blocks, while Albania handled Gibraltar 80-28 behind Sindi Kreshpa's team-high 19 points off the bench along with 8 steals, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.

Armenia and Albania will now square off for 5th place on the final day, as Moldova and Gibraltar will play each other for 7th spot.

FIBA