UDINE (FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2018) - Nyara Sabally showed why she is a pre-tournament candidate for MVP at the FIBA U18 Women's  European Championship with a towering first day display for Germany.

Sabally came up with the goods as her nation had to dodge a bullet to scrape past Latvia 66-62. She delivered three major blocks, including the defensive stop that effectively sealed the deal for the tournament favorites.

 
The Oregon-bound center also harvested 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists - while coming up with a series of impressive moves in the paint.

Another team eyeing up a podium finish had to dig out a win, with Spain only just squeezing past Czech Republic  71-67.  Fresh from the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup, Raquel Carrera and Helena Pueyo both starred. The former completed a double-double of 12 points and 12 boards, with Pueyo going a sweet 6-of-7 from the field.

Meanwhile, there was no fairytale start to life in the top flight for Ireland who lost their first Division A outing 44-64 to Poland. It was a similar case for the hosts on a humid evening in the north of Italy, as their opponents Croatia grounded out a 56-52 win.

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