Three of three: Portugal enter rest day with Quarter-Final ticket in hand

PODGORICA (FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2018, Division B) – Portugal became the first team to clinch a Quarter-Final berth at the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2018, Division B in Podgorica after improving to a 3-0 record in Group B with a dominant 59-39 display against Bulgaria on Saturday.

The Mariyana Kostourkova-coached Portuguese side made their intentions clear by allowing just 12 points in the first two quarters of play, running out to a 31-12 lead that provided them with a buffer in the second half.

Ines Vieira finished the game as Portugal's leading scorer with 9 points and 5 assists, Beatriz Santos chipped in with 8 points after knocking down a couple of three-pointers. The other 10 players also registered on the scoreboard.

Slovenia  had little trouble against Slovakia to start the weekend in style

In the only other game in the five-team Group B, Slovenia pushed their record to 2-1 with a 58-41 victory against Slovakia, despite being outrebounded 44-33.

The other six undefeated teams in the tournament followed Portugal's lead and climbed to 3-0 records in the standings of their respective groups. However, none of them managed to secure early bird Play-Off tickets ahead the first rest day in Podgorica.

Israel headlined Saturday's action elsewhere with a 48-point win over Switzerland to make it three wins in a row in Group C. Yarden Garzon paced the Israeli side to a convincing 87-39 victory with a game-high 17 points and provided 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a well-rounded performance.

Israel  are still undefeated in Group C at 3-0

Their group rivals Romania also stayed perfect, defeating Luxembourg 56-44, while Ireland moved their marker to 2-1 after blowing out Kosovo 72-40 in the last game of the day in Group C, as Hazel Finn posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Meanwhile, Greece produced their third blowout win in as many days in Group A, pelting Iceland in an 81-39 contest and Sweden joined them atop the standings after easing by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with a one-sided 62-41 scoreline. Just one win behind the group's front-runners, Montenegro kept their name in contention for a top-two finish with a 49-43 victory against Great Britain. 

Over in Group D, the trio of Janette Aarnio, Kati Ollilainen and Henna Sandvik combined for 50 points to lead the undefeated Finns to a 73-49 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Belarus also moved to 3-0 after inscribing a 77-42 victory against Norway thanks to a 26-point, 13-rebound, 5-assist and 6-steal masterpiece by Iryna Venskaya. In the only other game on Saturday, Ukraine got a 66-34 win over Albania.

FIBA