Round of 16 pairings set as Group Phase comes to a close

MATOSINHOS (Portugal) - The Group Phase at the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship came to a close on Sunday, with the matchups for the important Round of 16 stage confirmed.

Hungary capped off Group A with a dominant performance over Finland, 64-37, to finish group play 3-0. Finland were held to single-digit points in two quarters. Nine different players dished out an assist for Hungary and as a team, they had an 18-7 advantage.

Croatia clinched second place in Group A after defeating Italy 64-52. Croatia trailed 41-38 heading into the final quarter, but they rallied with a 26-11 fourth quarter to put the game away. Petra Bozan (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Lena Bilic (19 points) combined to make 12 of Croatia's 19 total field goals for 38 points.

Slovenia got in the win column in Group B after defeating Germany 64-48 in wire-to-wire fashion. Maja Uranker led Slovenia with a game-high 23 points along with 2 assists and 3 steals, while Ula Krenk recorded a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double.

Spain capped off a great group phase with another win in Group B, this time over previously unbeaten Lithuania, 71-49. Sometimes a game can be as simple as putting the ball in the hoop, and that was the case in this contest, as Spain knocked down 12 more shots than Lithuania, who shot only 25 percent from the floor.

Belgium completed group play on a 3-0 record to win Group C after a 64-52 victory against Poland. It was a balanced attack for Belgium who had three players - Noor Simonne Philippe Devos (12 points), Zhen Verburgt and Kyra Bruyndoncx (10 points) - score in double figures.

Hosts Portugal finished group play strong, claiming the second spot in Group C with a 79-58 victory over Latvia, as Center Clara Sofia Silva imposed her will inside with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

After losing their first game in Group D, Greece finished group play strong with another win to get to 2-1, this time defeating Czech Republic, 78-51. Greece trailed 16-15 after the first quarter but went on to put the game out of reach by outscoring the Czechs 53-23 in the next two quarters.

Panagiota Roumpini Stoligka (21 points) and Natala Arseniadou (15 points) combined to score 36 of Greece's 52 points from the bench.

France have been the top performers in the tournament so far, and that continued with a 55-point blowout of Denmark, 103-48. The game, which was never in doubt, included a 30-3 second quarter. In their three Group D games, France had an astounding +134-point differential.

Four players scored at least 15 points for France, headlined by Clemence Collin who finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 from three-point.

Round of 16 pairings (Tuesday, August 23):

- Hungary v Germany
- Portugal v Czech Republic
- Lithuania v Italy
- France v Poland
- Croatia v Slovenia
- Belgium v Denmark
- Spain v Finland
- Greece v Latvia

FIBA