Day 6: Spain sink France in dramatic Semi-Final; USA soar into fifth Final
DEBRECEN (Hungary) - USA and Spain will fight it out for the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup title after both nations were victorious in Saturday's Semi-Finals in Debrecen.
The dagger and the steal seals a comeback deal
The three that made the difference 💣
— NextGen Hoops (@NextGenHoops) July 16, 2022
Carla Viegas Segura will not forget this shot for a while!#FIBAU17 | @BaloncestoESP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/vqXbxyYfDy
Spain showed plenty of courage and composure to seal a thrilling and dramatic 66-59 Semi-Finals comeback win against France. They were down by double-digits (11-24 in the first half) to their derby rivals, but kept their cool to drag themselves back into the reckoning. It boiled down to crunch time and, Spain got it done with two huge plays down the stretch.
Firstly, Carla Viega Seguras was amazing with 14points and 4/9 from 3-point land and she drained a big-time triple with 90 seconds left to give her team the lead, then Iyana Martin Carrion grabbed a precious steal out of a France timeout with just 24 seconds left. It will be a third Final appearance for Spain, who prospered from 12 points, 9 rebounds anf 5 steals from Awa Fam Thiam.
The 22 turnovers hurt France and despite a monumental 21 points and 14 boards from Dominique Malonga and a true domination on the boards (47 rebounds for France, 29 for Spain), they fell short and will have to play for bronze against Canada.
Five is the magic number for USA
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Reigning champions USA made their fifth Final in six editions as they also collected a derby success against their neighbors. Their victory was less dramatic, managing to take a comprehensive 87-57 triumph built around a one-sided and highly impactful 27-9 opening quarter. Jaloni Cambridge, Morgan Cheli, Mackenly Randolph, Jadyn Donovan and JuJu Watkins all recorded double-digit scoring returns to further showcase the offensive depth of the holders.
Who's taking a top five finish?
Saffron Shiels was all over the court at both ends of the floor for the Sapphires
Australia and host nation Hungary will both pursue a top five finish. The Sapphires pipped Germany 75-72 in an exciting matchup that saw Saffron Shiels claim an all-action 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Jayda Clark top scored with 15 points, including the last gasp bucket that sealed the deal. The defeat was tough on German standout Annike Soltau who poured in 27 points to further enhance her burgeoning reputation.
Stung by their first loss of the competition in the Quarter-Finals, Hungary wasted little time in making amends as they strode past Japan 67-45, with Tyra Aho leading the way with 12 points.
Sixth time lucky for Korea, still no luck for Argentina and Mexico
Sol Kim was the inspiration behind Korea finally getting rolling with a first win of the tournament
Korea finally got a first victory of the campaign on the board on the penultimate day of action in Debrecen as 19 points from Sol Kim took them past the still winless Argentina 68-55. Argentina have one last chance to get it done when they face Americas rivals Mexico who are also without a victory to their name. They went down 88-42 against Belgium as they got torched by a 14 point and 14 rebound double-double by Pauline Bayart, as well as 17 points from Kyra Bruyndoncx.
Super 24 hours for Mali
Mali has a shot now at equalling their best ever win tally of three
Having lost their first four games of the competition, what a 24 hours it has been for Mali. Following their win against Belgium, they claimed back to back victories by beating African rivals Egypt 58-44. Mama Sidiki Doumbia brought the noise again with 11 points and 14 boards, while Rokiatou Berthe top scored with 14 points. Mali could equal their best ever win tally at the event if they get a third on the final day of action.
'Four-midable' Slovenia
It was yet another win for Slovenia as they showed their potential again
They came to their first ever edition of the tournament with high hopes and while disappointed not to have made the top eight, it's now four wins for the first-timers. Slovenia moved past New Zealand with ease, racking up an 83-49 victory that was founded on an excellent 10 of 12 shooting effort from Alina Zitek who netted 23 points.
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