MVP Spight leads Armenia to maiden gold

CIORESCU (FIBA European Championship for Small Countries) - The one-two punch of Andre Spight and Bryant Dunston led Armenia to their maiden basketball success. Andorra finished second, while San Marino grabbed the bronze.

Armenia dominated the Final against Andorra from the start and won the game 79-71. An early 9-0 run was enough to secure a 25-12 lead after the first ten minutes, and the Armenians never looked back after that. Andorra could not cope with Dunston under the basket, losing the rebounding battle 45-32, and Spight was lethal from outside.

Spight, who was voted FIBA European Championship for Small Countries MVP, connected on 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc to lead all scorers with 27 points. Dunston had a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, and three more Armenians ended with eight points to their names.

Guillem Colom Barrufet scored 22 points for Andorra, with Albert Farfan De Los Godos adding 15 more. Cinto Gabriel Morilla finished with 14 points, Oriol Fernandez Vilarrubla had 12, but the rest of Andorra combined for only eight points.

Andorra's run of two consecutive golds at the Championship has ended, while Armenia came up on top in their first official tournament. San Marino joined them on the podium after a 60-53 win over Ireland.

Ireland had led by four heading into the final ten minutes, and stayed in front until Gioele Moretti hit a three-pointer to make it 52-50 with three and a half minutes left. Moretti's three was also the start of a 9-0 run which was enough to secure the win.

Federico Cardinali had a team-high 14 points for San Marino, but Moretti was their game hero, with an all-round performace - 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jordan Blount and Brian Fitzpatrick combined for 32 points and 26 rebounds, but it was not enough for a medal in Moldova.

The home team booked fifth place with a 73-63 win over Malta. Wales ended in seventh place after a 67-40 triumph against Gibraltar.

Armenia was also the only team to feature two players in the All-Star Five. Spight and Dunston were joined by Paul Dick (Ireland), Colom Barrufet (Andorra) and Tevin Alexander Falzon (Malta).

FIBA