Israel shock Spain to reach Quarters; Greece, Serbia and Turkey survive scares
Israel pulled off the upset of the tournament as they dethroned reigning champs Spain to reach the FIBA U20 European Championship 2023 Quarter-Finals, where they were joined by among others hosts Greece.
HERAKLION (Greece) - Israel pulled off the upset of the tournament as they dethroned reigning champions Spain to reach the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA U20 European Championship 2023, where they were joined by among others hosts Greece and still undefeated France and Lithuania.
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
- The 2018 and 2019 winners Israel shocked Spain, eliminating defending champs. Spain's last non-top eight finish dates back to 2006.
- Hosts Greece survive Iceland fight for first U20 European Quarter-Final since winning title in 2017
- Serbia, Turkey avoid scares; Lithuania, France are the only remaining undefeated teams
Top Performers
Thijs De Ridder makes this list for the third time as he led Belgium into the Quarter-Finals for the second straight summer with an outstanding showing against Estonia. He scored 30 points on 8-of-17 shots and 14-of-14 free throws to go with 12 rebounds - 9 from the offensive glass, 3 assists and 1 block for an efficiency of 35.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
Lithuania are through to the Final Eight thanks to a big performance from Motiejus Krivas, who had 14 points of 7-of-13 shots, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks for an efficiency of 29.
Just one point of efficiency behind was Daniel Wolf with 28 as the big man helped Israel shock Spain with 21 points on 8-of-17 shots and 5-of-6 foul shots, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Sananda Fru of Germany also had a 28 efficiency as the center scored 20 points on 9-of-10 shots and 1-of-3 free throws while also chipping in 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks against Croatia.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
Another player to stand out was Vangelis Zougris of Greece, who helped the hosts just get past Iceland. The forward scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 5-of-8 free throws to go with 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block for an efficiency of 25.
Results of the Day
Lithuania 70-51 Slovenia
Germany 87-67 Croatia
Belgium 80-65 Estonia
Spain 52-59 Israel
Serbia 75-72 Italy
Greece 83-75 Iceland
Turkey 73-58 Montenegro
France 89-55 Poland
Quarter-Finals Pairings
Israel v Germany
Belgium v Lithuania
Serbia v France
Turkey v Greece
FIBA