Aslanian gets Armenia on the board, dominant Cyprus move to 2-0

VALETTA (FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017 Division C) - Cyprus moved to 2-0 in the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017 Division C after carrying over their opening-day defensive momentum to Wednesday, while last year's champions Armenia bounced back with a win over tournament hosts Malta.

The Michael Matsentides-coached Cypriot girls didn't give Kosovo a chance by hammering home a 70-34 victory with all 12 players getting in on the action once again in a solid team effort.

Kosovo had one foot in the game for the length of the opening quarter, but a 22-4 stretch in the second period saw Cyprus pull away leaving their opponents without a feasible way back into the game.

Every single player scored for Cyprus in a great all-around team effort

Eleni Pilakouta was the only double-digit scorer for the islanders with 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Panagiota Themistokleous chipped in with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench.

Besjana Martinaj was the game's leading scorer with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds for Kosovo, who will probably have hoped for a better start to the championship after sitting out the opening day of action on Tuesday.

In the other game of the day, defending champions Armenia, albeit with a much-changed lineup from last year, registered an 83-53 victory against Malta. After splitting the first pair of games, both teams now share identical 1-1 records in the standings.

Top-notch defense by Armenia kept Kaya Calleja in check

Powered by the long-range shooting of Ani Hovhannisyan and the dominance of Anna Aslanian inside the paint, Armenia controlled the game from start to finish thanks to a 48-34 rebounding edge.

Aslanian finished the game with a double-double of 27 points and 17 rebounds, Inga Manucharyan chipped in with 27 points, 11 boards and 3 assists, while Hovhannisyan added 20 points. 

Overpowered inside the paint, Malta couldn't stay in the game in spite of the best efforts from the trio Kristy Galea, Sophie Abela and Kaya Calleja, who combined for 31 of the team's total 53 points.

FIBA