Day 3 recap: Serbia, Spain stay perfect in Skopje; Zipper's 31 lift Israel to 3-0

MUNICH (Germany) - The leading teams made their moves on the third day of the FIBA U18 European Challengers with just seven nations remaining unbeaten across the five cities heading into Friday's rest day.

Headlines:

- Serbia, Spain continue collision course in Skopje
- Tel Aviv sees Zipper drop 31 points to keep Israel unbeaten
- Slovenia lead the way with three from three in Konya
- Hosts Slovakia suffer first loss at hands of Switzerland
- Luxembourg hold onto perfect record in Tirana

Day 3 Standout Performers:

Skopje: Benjamin Schroder (GER) - 17 PTS / 8 REB / 67% FG
Tel Aviv: Ron Zipper (ISR) - 31 PTS / 7 3PT / 2 STL
Konya: Rihards Teirumnieks (LAT) - 25 PTS / 4 REB / 3 AST
Levice: Matus Malovec (SVK) - 30 PTS / 7 AST / 3 STL
Levice: Georgi Gerganov (BUL) - 21 PTS / 9 AST / 70% FG
Levice: Killian Gribben (IRL) - 25 PTS / 16 REB / 6 AST
Tirana: Nicolas Toussaint (LUX) - 24 PTS / 9 REB / 3 STL
Tirana: Jamie McGrail (GIB) - 24 PTS / 7 REB / 6 STL

Skopje Challenger:

Group A

9/15 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Serbia	3	3	0	100		268	208	60	89.3	69.3	6
2	Spain	3	3	0	100		227	169	58	75.7	56.3	6
3	Croatia	3	1	2	33.3		259	238	21	86.3	79.3	4
4	Germany	3	1	2	33.3		218	244	-26	72.7	81.3	4
5	North Macedonia	3	1	2	33.3		208	243	-35	69.3	81	4
6	Georgia	3	0	3	0		156	234	-78	52	78	3

Gameday 3 results: Serbia maintained their perfect record in Skopje as they moved to 3-0 with a convincing 91-48 win over Georgia with Luka Vudragovic top scoring with 20 points. Spain also continued their winning start by beating North Macedonia, 69-62 - having led by 20, while Germany secured a hard-fought 75-69 success against Croatia for their first win of the week.

Tel Aviv Challenger:

Group B

9/15 games played

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Israel	3	3	0	100	291	221	70	97	73.7	6
2	Lithuania	3	2	1	66.7	235	235	0	78.3	78.3	5
3	Greece	3	2	1	66.7	224	231	-7	74.7	77	5
4	Estonia	3	1	2	33.3	224	229	-5	74.7	76.3	4
5	France	3	1	2	33.3	226	232	-6	75.3	77.3	4
6	Portugal	3	0	3	0	198	250	-52	66	83.3	3

Gameday 3 results: Hosts Israel had to battle to preserve their unbeaten status before overcoming France, 89-83, behind a 31-point haul that included seven triples from Ron Zipper. Greece came out firing on their way to a 70-63 victory over Portugal, who made the final score respectable with an 18-9 fourth quarter effort, while Lithuania also moved to 2-1 as they recorded a 79-66 win against Estonia with a strong finish avoiding any possible late drama.

Konya Challenger:

Group C

9/15 games played

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Slovenia	3	3	0	100	233	164	69	77.7	54.7	6
2	Turkey	3	2	1	66.7	213	205	8	71	68.3	5
3	Russia	3	1	2	33.3	187	198	-11	62.3	66	4
4	Czech Republic	3	1	2	33.3	183	173	10	61	57.7	4
5	Latvia	3	1	2	33.3	159	222	-63	53	74	4
6	Poland	3	1	2	33.3	204	217	-13	68	72.3	4

Gameday 3 results: Slovenia remain the frontrunners in Konya after beating Poland 75-53 for their third win in as many days with Jaka Klobucar netting a game-high 17 points off the bench. Turkey overcame a second quarter lapse against Czech Republic as they held their opponents to just 6 points in the final 10 minutes to secure a 65-57 triumph, while Latvia ended their drought to join three other teams on a 1-2 record, including Russia who they beat 73-60.

Levice Challenger:

Group D

3/3 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Bulgaria	2	2	0	100		181	140	41	90.5	70	4
2	Hungary	2	1	1	50.0		146	143	3	73	71.5	3
3	Ireland	2	0	2	0		150	194	-44	75	97	2

Group E

6/6 games played

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Slovakia	3	2	1	66.7	231	224	7	77	74.7	5
2	Ukraine	3	2	1	66.7	230	210	20	76.7	70	5
3	Romania	3	1	2	33.3	213	213	0	71	71	4
4	Switzerland	3	1	2	33.3	240	267	-27	80	89	4

Gameday 3 results: Bulgaria finished the first group phase in top spot as they survived a second-half fightback from Ireland to record a 99-89 victory, despite a 25-16-6 line from Killian Gribben. In Group E, Switzerland upset hosts Slovakia in Levice with a 94-85 triumph, though it was not enough to avoid a bottom-placed finish, while Ukraine came through a tough encounter with Romania to win 68-63.

Tirana Challenger:

Group F

3/3 games played

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Kosovo	2	2	0	100	193	107	86	96.5	53.5	4
2	Albania	2	1	1	50.0	144	136	8	72	68	3
3	Moldova	2	0	2	0	96	190	-94	48	95	2

Group G

6/6 games played

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Luxembourg	3	3	0	100	237	156	81	79	52	6
2	Andorra	3	2	1	66.7	205	179	26	68.3	59.7	5
3	Gibraltar	3	1	2	33.3	169	197	-28	56.3	65.7	4
4	Malta	3	0	3	0	168	247	-79	56	82.3	3

Gameday 3 results: Kosovo rounded out Group F action with a dominant 108-45 success against Moldova having poured in 44 points in the first 10 minutes behind a string of scoring contributions. In Group G, Luxembourg were pushed all the way against Andorra before holding on for a 71-68 victory as Damien Thill scored the go-ahead basket inside the final minute, while Gibraltar claimed their first win by beating Malta, 75-66.

FIBA