France repeat as champions, Croatia earn spot at U17 World Cup

IZMIR (Turkey) - France repeated as queens of Europe with a strong second-half performance to outlast Spain and win the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2023 for their fifth cadet crown.

The French were behind at halftime but outscored Spain in the last two quarters, 36-30, to eventually prevail, 67-63. This was a repeat of their 2022 conquest, where they also beat Spain in the Final. Lilyana Fontcha was outstanding for France with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Ainhoa Risacher added 15 points and 3 blocked shots.

Spain actually led early on in this game, holding on to a slim 33-31 halftime advantage. However, France came out stronger after the break. The Spanish last tasted the lead at 60-58 late in the fourth period after a pair of Martina Vizmanos Iglesis free-throws. However, a free-throw from Liana Bourgeois and a big triple from Kiara Leno overhauled the deficit and gave France the lead for good, 62-60, with under 3 minutes to go.

Key Storylines

- France claim fifth FIBA U16 Women's European Championship crown and Spain settle for fourth silver medal;
- Ainhoa Risacher of France named MVP to headline All-Star Five;
- Italy escape Finland in a scintillating Third-Place Game to finish on the podium for the first time since 2018;
- Croatia beat Poland for fifth place and qualify for the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2024;
- Greece defeated Czech Republic in the Classification 13-14 to stave off relegation to Division B. 

Top Performers

Olivia Vukosa was the day's best performer as she registered 28 points and 16 rebounds for a 35 efficiency rating in Croatia's pivotal fifth-place win over Poland. The 1.94m teenager shot 11-of-20 from the field while adding 2 assists and 1 block.

Carolina Silva of Portugal also had a big outing on the final day. She saved her best for last with an efficiency rating of 33 after tallying 26 points, 12 rebounds, and a staggering 6 blocked shots.

Belgium's Annie Kibedi earned her spot, leading a massive 19-point win over Slovenia. She had 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-of-12 from the floor to finish with a 27 efficiency rating.

Nicole Ogun led the way for Finland, though her strong performance wasn't enough for them to finish on the podium. The versatile player had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals in the third-place game against Italy.

Lena Bilic picked up an efficiency rating of 23 for Croatia on the last day. She stuffed the stat-sheet with 20 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

Results of the Day

Final
France 67-63 Spain

Third Place Game
Italy 59-58 Finland

Classification Games
Croatia 74-57 Poland
Serbia 53-51 Hungary
Belgium 66-45 Slovenia
Latvia 59-56 Israel
Greece 55-51 Czech Republic
Turkey 69-61 Portugal

FIBA