Monaco run circles around Moldova to keep all Semi-Final spots open for Thursday

PRISHTINA (FIBA U18 European Championship 2018, Division C) – Monaco stayed in control of their own fate at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2018, Division C with a momentous 95-62 victory over Moldova in Group A action on Wednesday evening.

The Nils Gasser-led Monaco improved to a 2-1 mark in the standings, with the 17-year-old guard collecting 23 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in what proved to be a largely one-sided contest.

Roman Tomatis and Vincent Vermillac added 18 and 16 points, respectively, as the Monegasque side outscored Moldova 58-27 after the intermission to sail away with the win.

For Moldova, now also 2-1, Victor Legosin had a team-high 19 points, while Vadim Raducan chipped in with a 16-point and 14-rebound double-double.

In the other game of the day, Armenia outlasted Malta 77-66 in overtime for their first win of the tournament, moving to 1-3 and avoiding a last-place finish in Group A. 

Andre Zohrabian flirted with a triple-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, while Davit Khachatryan added 16 points, 18 boards and 4 steals. On the other end, Keith Dimech had 22 points in 42 minutes, but Malta dropped to 0-3 and are now set to enter the Classification Group 5-9 as the bottom seed.

Meanwhile, the teams in Group B had a bye-day; they will resume action on Thursday for the final game day of the Group Phase, with all four Semi-Final slots across both groups still unclaimed.

FIBA