San Marino and Azerbaijan with crucial wins, Kosovo setting records

SERRAVALLE (FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 Division C) - San Marino and Azerbaijan both enjoyed big wins on final Group day to join Kosovo and Andorra in the Semi-Finals.

San Marino and Wales were tied at 2-1 in Group B heading into their match-up. The hosts gained control of the game quickly as they won the first half 33-20, and finished their job with a 15-7 final quarter in a 69-47 win. Two Ugolinis came up big for San Marino. Pietro Ugolini had 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while also collecting 13 rebounds and blocking four shots. Giovanni Ugolini was the other San Marino player in double figures with 17 points, also shooting 7-of-13 from the field.

San Marino played a huge game on the defensive end. They held Morgan Carter, who had previously returned three double-doubles in as many games, to just two points in 36 minutes. Stelios Koukouravas was the only player in double digits for Wales with 20 points.

That win for San Marino means they will play against undefeated Andorra in the Semi-Finals. Andorra cruised to a 98-53 victory over Gibraltar to take first place in Group A. Hugo Schneider Bartolome led five players in double figures with 20 points.

Kosovo will play Azerbaijan in the other Semi-Final. Dritero Sefaja's team showed no mercy for Moldova, running away with a new scoring record at this year's tournament. Kosovo won the game 116-58 to finish on top of Group B with a perfect 4-0 record. Etnik Peci shot 10-of-11 from the floor to finish with 25 points in just 20 minutes of play. Four more Kosovo players ended with 10 or more points in a game which saw Kosovo hit 50 field goals.

Azerbaijan will take their day off to find a way to control Kosovo's pace in the Semi-Final. They booked their ticket for the Semis with a 79-61 win over Principality of Monaco. Endar Poladkhanli had the first 20-20 game of the tournament with 24 points and 20 rebounds in 30 minutes on the court.

There will be no day off in the Classification Group for 5th place. Gibraltar (1-0) play Moldova (0-2), while Malta (1-1) face Monaco (0-1). Wales lead the newly formed Group C 2-0.

FIBA