Denmark fend off Belgian comeback en route to historic Division B triumph

SKOPJE (FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B) - Denmark survived a ferocious second-half comeback attempt by Belgium in the Final to claim the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2017, Division B title.

Having never previously medaled at any continental competition for women, the Danish girls rose all the way to the top with a dramatic 74-73 victory in the gold-medal game for a ground-breaking achievement for the country's basketball.

Having led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, Denmark allowed their opponents back in the contest with a 13-0 run with the Belgians going on to eventually even up the score at 70-70 with nearly three minutes on the clock.

A couple of baskets by Malene Pedersen created some breathing room, but Bell kept Belgium in the game with a three-pointer. In the closing possession on the game, Sam Van Buggenhout had a chance to complete the turnaround right at the death, but rushed her lay-up.

Pedersen had a team-high 20 points for the winners, Caroline Gylstroff added 17 points, while Katrine Jessen chipped in with a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka, later named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, was the top scorer of the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, while Van Buggenhout finished the game with 17 points.

Meanwhile, Greece claimed the bronze medal after getting the better of Ukraine with a 53-36 victory in the Third-Place Game, with Danai Papadopoulou doing the heavy lifting offensively and the whole team performing like clockwork on the defensive end.

After a close opening quarter, the Greeks decided the outcome of the contest in the second and third periods, winning them 11-4 and 18-7 respectively to open up a 20-point gap before the final frame of the game.

Papadopoulou was the only double-digit scorer for the winners with 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Ioanna Krimili went the whole 40 minutes without substitution for a contribution of 7 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Meanwhile, Veronika Kosmach collected a team-high 14 points and 8 rebounds for Ukraine, but also turned the ball over 6 times.

In a rematch of the Group Phase rivalry, Finland got revenge over Portugal with a 63-46 victory in the Classification Game for 5th Place, while Sweden edged out Bosnia and Herzegovina 58-54 to secure a 7th-place finish.

Lining up next in the standings, Israel topped Ireland 66-54 to get 9th place, Slovenia won the duel for the 11th spot 53-47 over Switzerland, with Bulgaria celebrating a 51-47 outcome against Luxembourg in the Classification Game for 13th Place and Estonia placing 15th after registering a 50-38 win over the Slovak Republic.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia finished the tournament on a positive note, edging out Great Britain 53-50 for 17th place in the final standings. Meanwhile, Iceland lined up next following a 50-41 victory over Norway, with Albania getting a 69-36 win over Moldova to avoid a last-place finish.

FIBA