Cyprus capture Division C title, Oztoprak claims MVP award

PRISHTINA (Kosovo) - Cyprus won the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, Division C title in dramatic fashion after beating Azerbaijan 78-75 in the Final on Thursday.

Alexandros Papadopoulos came up clutch for the victors, as he knocked down the game-winning three-pointer in the corner to give Cyprus their first title at the event since 2016.

Tournament MVP Demir Oztoprak top scored with 17 points in the win to go along with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, while Dimitris Mannaris added 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists and joined his teammate in the All-Star Five.

Lis Binishi, Derin Berkoz, Demir Oztoprak, Dimitris Mannaris, Ignasi Armengol

Cyprus had a 55-48 advantage late in the third until Azerbaijan's 10-1 run to close the quarter put them ahead by two points heading into the final 10 minutes. 

Just when it looked like Cyprus had separated themselves with a nine-point lead, Azerbaijan forced their way back and tied the game at 73 apiece with 1:14 remaining. Cyprus went back ahead with an offensive putback, but Azerbaijan once again responded and levelled with just 13 seconds left before the final twist came.

Derin Berkoz was rewarded for his impressive tournament for Azerbaijan with a spot on the All-Star Five, and he narrowly missed out on a triple-double in the Final with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in defeat.

Meanwhile, Andorra had a very strong showing to defeat hosts Kosovo, 97-59, in the Third Place Game. Ignasi Armengol posted a huge stat line of 34 points, 9 rebounds, 7 steals and 5 assists, converting 12-of-25 shots from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line to cement his All-Star Five berth.

Four other players also scored in double figures for Andorra including Noah Huisman and Arnau Aranda who combined for 24 points off the bench. Kosovo had 15 points from Lis Binishi - who also made the All-Star Five after finishing the tournament as the second leading scorer with 20.8 points per game.

In the final games of the Classification Group 5-9, Armenia downed Gibraltar 75-52 to secure 5th place behind Kevin Dehbashian's 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Albania handled Malta 96-47 for 6th place as three players recorded double-doubles for the victors.

Arlis Brika put up 20 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Daniel Rushaj had 10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks and Skendi Sinani finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Final Standings

1. Cyprus
2. Azerbaijan
3. Andorra
4. Kosovo
5. Armenia
6. Albania
7. Malta
8. San Marino
9. Gibraltar

FIBA