ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - The opening day of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 did not disappoint with six-time reigning champions United States defeating France in a high-level showdown, debutants Guinea winning their first-ever game in the competition and Argentina collecting their first youth win over Italy in 45 years.
If you missed the action in Istanbul, we have you covered with a wrap of all the games at the Sinan Erdem Dome and the neighboring Ahmet Comert Sports Hall.
USA wear down France in big-name showdown
Many expect this game could be a preview of the Final on July 7 and while France drew the praise of USA head coach Sharman White the Americans ended up wearing down the European challengers 104-81 in Group B at the Sinan Erdem Dome.
The Americans raced ahead by 18 points midway through the second quarter. France were able to trim the margin to nine points and were down 13 at halftime. The French refused to go away and trailed 57-49 in the third quarter. But USA broke their will with a 14-2 close to the period and led 82-59 after 30 minutes.
Cameron Boozer paced the Americans with 29 points and 12 rebounds, AJ Dybantsa tallied 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals and Koa Peat contributed 18 points in the win. Yannis Allard scored 19 points to lead France, who committed 24 turnovers in the game and watched the Americans turn them into 33 points.
"We knew (France) were going to challenge us and they challenged us throughout. We went up a little bit and they came back and made it closer. We were able to extend the lead and just wear them down a bit at the end. But in no means did they lay down. They were fighting all the way to the end. But we're going to keep coming and keep fighting and keep pushing, we’re not going to give in. We might bend a little bit but we won't break", said USA head coach Sharman White.
Guinea make history with first win in classic Diane-Sinan showdown
Guinea made history in their first-ever game in the competition by defeating China 101-92 in a Group D matchup that featured a classic battle between big men Arafan Diane of the Africans and China's Sinan Huan.
The first-time U16 African champions showed they are up to the challenge by opening a lead as big as 19 points and solidly fending off any comeback attempt from China at the Ahmet Comert Sports Hall.
Diane was a force in the paint with 28 points and 13 rebounds with Nour Gassim Toure tallying 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Sinan meanwhile did well to handle early foul trouble and collect 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocks. The latter stat ranked the Chinese center tied for sixth for the most blocks in a single U17 World Cup game.
"It's huge what just happened. We told the kids before the game that everybody is going to tune in so we're not just representing our team but the whole country. Now we have beaten China so we have to get even more support back in Guinea", said Guinea head coach Ibrahima Toure.
Kropp carries Argentina past Italy for first time since 1979
The Ahmet Comert Sports Hall saw more history in the final game as Argentina fought back from 11 points down to beat Italy 83-79 in Group C - the first victory over the Europeans in a youth event since a 71-70 win at the 1979 World Championship for Junior Men for a 2-4 all-time mark.
Italy led by 11 points in the third quarter and it was 72-64 in the final frame with 8 minutes to go. Argentina raced back with a 17-3 run to go up 81-75 with 81 seconds to go and grabbed the win.
Tyler Kropp scored 29 points and Felipe Minzer tallied 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Italy wasted a 20-point showing from Maikcol Perez.
Egypt give Australia scare in near-magical comeback
Australia ended up sweating out a game they thought was clearly won as they nearly wasted a 21-point margin and needed late two free throws by Harrison Beauchamp to secure an 85-82 victory over Egypt in Group D.
Australia led 59-38 with less than 3 minutes to play in the third quarter. Egypt edged closer and closer and back-to-back triples from Omar Essam closed the gap to 83-82 with 44 seconds left.
Both teams committed turnovers, Egypt on an in-bounds pass with 16 seconds left and a chance to go ahead. Beauchamp stepped up to the line with 8.6 seconds left and buried both foul shots, and the Crocs escaped with the win when Annas Tolba's three-pointer at the buzzer was off-target.
"It was a good game for the guys. It was tough at the end but I am happy we fought through until the end and got the win. It shows our resilience. We cannot take our foot off the pedal. We were up after three quarters and thought we could coast to the win. But international basketball is not like that", said Australia guard Harrison Beuchamp.
Spain bottle up Quinones, Puerto Rico in strong start
Spain showcased a strong balance and tough as nails defense as the U16 European champions shut down Puerto Rico's star guard Felipe Quinones in an 89-63 victory in Group A.
Gildas Gimenez scored 17 points with 9 rebounds and Sergi Kemu chipped in 13 points for Spain, who had six players score at least 8 points. No Puerto Rico player scored in double figures as the team shot 34.8 percent for the game. And their star Quinones made 1-of-8 shots for 4 points in nearly 26 minutes though he did have 4 assists in the loss.
"We started really well in the tournament and we have to keep playing like this. We have to make sure we play consistent the whole game", said Spain guard Sergi Kemu.
Other Results
Top performers
Top Highlight
FIBA