Semi-Final first-timers Belgium knock out Lithuania, Zougris helps Greece set date with France

HERAKLION (Greece) - Belgium rallied from 17 points to surprise Lithuania and reach the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U20 European Championships 2023 - the first time they advanced to the top four - and will meet two time champions Israel while France and hosts Greece will hook horns on the other side of the bracket.

Stay up to date with the tournament and check out the latest results, group standings and competition system for all the information you need.

Key Storylines

- With leader Thijs De Ridder fouled out, Belgium come back from 17 points down at halftime to beat Lithuania for first-ever Semi-Finals appearance

- Vangelis Zougris spearheads Greece rally over Turkey, into Semis

- Daniel Wolf, Noam Yaacov next in line, as 2018 and 2019 champs Israel reach Semis for fifth straight edition

- Adama-Alpha Bal leads balanced French past resilient Serbia

Top Performers

Promoted Iceland have secured their spot in the Division A for next summer with a Classification 9-16 win over Montenegro. And Orri Gunnarsson was a major reason for that as he poured in 30 points to go with 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for a day's best efficiency of 33. 

The only performance coming from a Semi-Finals team was Vangelis Zougris of Greece with his efficiency of 28 against Turkey. The  forward collected 14  points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in helping Greece fight back from 13 points down for the win.

Montenegro's Djordije Jovanovic could not lead his team to a win over Iceland despite an efficiency of 27 with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

The Iceland win produced another top performance with Tomas Thrastarson tallying an efficiency of 26. The 17-year-old guard picked up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals against Montenegro.

Spain were dropped to the Classification 9-16 after losing to Israel in the Round of 16 but the reigning champs bounced back with a comfortable victory over Croatia. Michael Caicedo helped the cause greatly with 18 points, 3 rebounds 4 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 25.

Results of the Day

Quarter-Finals

Israel 75-64 Germany
Belgium 77-71 Lithuania
Serbia 73-82 France
Turkey 61-87 Greece

Classification Games 9-16

Estonia 62-83 Slovenia
Spain 84-60 Croatia
Montenegro 73-99 Iceland
Italy 72-60 Poland

Semi-Finals Pairings

Belgium v Israel
Greece v France

Classification 5-8 Pairings

Turkey v Serbia
Lithuania v Germany

Classification 9-12 Pairings

Iceland v Italy
Slovenia v Spain

Classification 13-16 Pairings

Montenegro v Poland
Estonia v Croatia

 FIBA