Spain knock out top-seeded Lithuania, as Quarter-Finals take shape

CHEMNITZ (FIBA U20 European Championship 2018) – The undefeated Lithuanian run at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2018 came crashing down, with the lower-ranked Spain knocking out the Group A winners in the Round of 16.

Aleix Font and Josep Puerto led the Spanish effort to overturn a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter that ended in a dramatic 75-70 victory for the Luis Guil-coached team and subsequently a ticket to the Quarter-Finals.

Font collected a game-high 23 points and drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 21 seconds on the clock to put Spain in a winning position, while Puerto collected 12 of his overall 14 points in the final frame.

Estamos donde queríamos, esto solo acaba de empezar!! #FIBAU20Europe #Familia pic.twitter.com/ncdRcGrTv9

— Pol Figueras (@PolFiguerasL) July 18, 2018

"We know that we have what it takes. We didn't show it in the Group Phase, but we did today. It was a great team effort, the whole team played amazing, especially lock-down defense," Font shared the laurels with the rest of the team in the post-game interview.

"I've been at U16, U18 and now at U20 and the European Championships, they're all really tight. But this year, this is absolutely crazy, I feel like this year not only the top six teams can win, but it could be 8-10 teams."

Spain will play Israel in the Quarter-Finals after Deni Avdija and company registered a 72-63 win over Sweden, with the 17-year-old forward leading the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds.

Tommaso Oxilia lived at the free-throw line, going 10-of-12

The only other close Round of 16 tie saw Italy squeeze past Greece 76-70, as Tommaso Oxilia and Davide Moretti buried the Greeks from the charity stripe, converting 10 free-throws each. The Italian one-two punch of Oxilia and Moretti collected 16 and 15 points, respectively. For Greece, Michail Lountzis had a team-high 14 points, while Dimitris Moraitis added 12 points and 5 assists.

"We showed great energy right until the end, and that made the difference. Our group is very close, that’s our biggest strength. There are many teams who fight for a medal, and we want to win too. First, we will have to be ready for a tough battle against Croatia tomorrow," Italy's top scorer Oxilia stressed.

Next in Italy's way is Croatia, who brushed aside Great Britain with a 93-62 scoreline, as Mate Kaljzic and Toni Perkovic shared a game-high 15-point mark.

 

Meanwhile, Turkey and Germany booked a Quarter-Final date after defeating Ukraine and Iceland, respectively. The Serkan Erdogan-coached Turkey picked apart the Ukrainian team 104-46, while Germany cruised to a 77-63 win over their Icelandic opposition.

Serbia steamrolled  a short-handed Romania 105-58 in a one-sided contest,  while France stayed on track for the triple crown  with a 70-37 victory over Montenegro behind a stellar defensive effort.

FIBA