Day 5 recap: Spain overcome Serbia for Skopje title; Challenger triumphs for Kosovo, Hungary
MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA U18 European Challengers reached a conclusion on Sunday with three titles up for grabs on the final day with Spain, Kosovo and Hungary joining Israel and Slovenia as winners.
MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA U18 European Challengers reached a conclusion on Sunday with three titles up for grabs on the final day with Spain, Kosovo and Hungary joining Israel and Slovenia as winners of their respective tournaments.
Headlines:
- Spain beat Serbia to win title in Skopje
- Israel lose perfect record on final day in Tel Aviv
- Slovenia finish 5-0 in Konya to cap title triumph
- Hungary see off Ukraine in Levice Final
- Kosovo dominate Final to celebrate in Tirana
MVP Awards:
Skopje: Jordi Rodriguez (ESP) - 15.0 PTS / 2.3 STL
Tel Aviv: Ron Zipper (ISR) - 25.2 PTS / 3.6 REB / 51% 3PT
Konya: Sasa Ciani (SLO) - 13.0 PTS / 9.8 REB / 3.8 AST
Levice: Ivan Koldomasov (UKR) - 17.6 PTS / 5.2 REB / 5.8 AST
Tirana: Visar Ejupi (KOS) - 18.3 PTS / 3.0 REB / 2.3 AST
Day 5 Standout Performers:
Skopje: Guillermo Diaz Graham (ESP) - 16 PTS / 5 REB / 6 BLK
Skopje: Noa Svoboda (CRO) - 23 PTS / 6 REB / 3 STL
Tel Aviv: Henri Veesaar (EST) - 24 PTS / 10 REB / 7 BLK
Tel Aviv: Ron Zipper (ISR) - 26 PTS / 5 REB / 2 STL
Konya: Artem Antipov (RUS) - 18 PTS / 11 REB / 2 AST
Levice: Killian Gribben (IRL) - 21 PTS / 17 REB / 3 BLK
Levice: David Novak (SVK) - 32 PTS / 7 REB / 5 STL
Tirana: Gabriel Cissar (MLT) - 15 PTS / 8 REB / 8 STL / 4 BLK
Skopje Challenger:
Group A
15/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Spain | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 391 | 293 | 98 | 78.2 | 58.6 | 10 |
| 2 | Serbia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80.0 | 406 | 349 | 57 | 81.2 | 69.8 | 9 |
| 3 | Germany | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60.0 | 421 | 381 | 40 | 84.2 | 76.2 | 8 |
| 4 | Croatia | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40.0 | 417 | 406 | 11 | 83.4 | 81.2 | 7 |
| 5 | North Macedonia | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20.0 | 360 | 428 | -68 | 72 | 85.6 | 6 |
| 6 | Georgia | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 286 | 424 | -138 | 57.2 | 84.8 | 5 |
Gameday 5 results: Spain completed a perfect week in Skopje as they defeated Serbia 68-50 in the battle for the title on the final day. Guillermo Diaz Graham had 6 blocks to go with 16 points in the win as his side made their move in the third quarter - outscoring their opponents 21-5. Meanwhile, Croatia beat Georgia 84-72 behind 23 points from Noa Svoboda with Germany recording a convincing 97-79 win over North Macedonia to conclude the action.
Tel Aviv Challenger:
Group B
15/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Israel | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80.0 | 447 | 372 | 75 | 89.4 | 74.4 | 9 |
| 2 | Lithuania | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60.0 | 389 | 360 | 29 | 77.8 | 72 | 8 |
| 3 | Estonia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60.0 | 372 | 366 | 6 | 74.4 | 73.2 | 8 |
| 4 | France | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60.0 | 379 | 350 | 29 | 75.8 | 70 | 8 |
| 5 | Greece | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40.0 | 345 | 396 | -51 | 69 | 79.2 | 7 |
| 6 | Portugal | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 316 | 404 | -88 | 63.2 | 80.8 | 5 |
Gameday 5 results: Estonia claimed another memorable win as they handed a first loss to title winners Israel with Henri Veesaar posting 24 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks to counter a 26-point haul from MVP Ron Zipper in the 81-75 triumph over the hosts. France finished in fourth place despite easing to an 84-51 victory against Greece with Lithuania also ending up with a 3-2 record after beating Portugal 87-56 with a balanced scoring attack to conclude their campaign on a high amongst the three-way tie for second.
Konya Challenger:
Group C
15/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Slovenia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 370 | 292 | 78 | 74 | 58.4 | 10 |
| 2 | Poland | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60.0 | 335 | 332 | 3 | 67 | 66.4 | 8 |
| 3 | Latvia | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40.0 | 277 | 347 | -70 | 55.4 | 69.4 | 7 |
| 4 | Russia | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40.0 | 331 | 324 | 7 | 66.2 | 64.8 | 7 |
| 5 | Turkey | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40.0 | 331 | 349 | -18 | 66.2 | 69.8 | 7 |
| 6 | Czech Republic | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20.0 | 308 | 308 | 0 | 61.6 | 61.6 | 6 |
Gameday 5 results: Slovenia made it five wins from five as they overcame Czech Republic for a 70-62 victory with Tibor Mirtic top scoring with 20 points and Sasa Ciani adding a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Poland sealed second spot in the group by beating Latvia 66-52, while Russia enjoyed a strong finish with a 78-59 victory against the hosts, Turkey.
Levice Challenger:
Group Z
3/3 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Romania | 2 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 172 | 154 | 18 | 86 | 77 | 4 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0 | 172 | 176 | -4 | 86 | 88 | 3 |
| 3 | Ireland | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 159 | 173 | -14 | 79.5 | 86.5 | 2 |
Gameday 5 results: Hungary came from behind to claim an 80-68 triumph in Sunday's Final against Ukraine with Martin Kalassai leading the way with a 21-point haul off the bench as Kornel Csuti added 17 points. David Novak fired in 32 points to lead Slovakia to a third place finish on home soil in beating Bulgaria, 71-63. Meanwhile, Switzerland secured a 94-83 victory against Ireland in the 5-7 Classification Round as Massimiliano Dell'Acqua and Nicola Isotta combined for 41 points.
Tirana Challenger:
Group X
3/3 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Gibraltar | 2 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 157 | 132 | 25 | 78.5 | 66 | 4 |
| 2 | Malta | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0 | 141 | 140 | 1 | 70.5 | 70 | 3 |
| 3 | Moldova | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 131 | 157 | -26 | 65.5 | 78.5 | 2 |
Gameday 5 results: Kosovo had six players in double figures as they captured the title in Tirana with an 84-58 triumph over Luxembourg in the Final. They stormed clear with a 22-3 third period with Dion Sheqiri coming close to a triple-double with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists in his side's victory.
Albania picked up third place as they had to battle to overcome Andorra for a hard-fought 61-56 success. Also, Malta finished their week in style with a 75-65 success against Moldova with five players in double figures including Gabriel Cassar, who had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 8 steals and 4 blocks.
FIBA