Lithuania among unbeaten quartet as Round of 16 matchups confirmed

IZMIR (Turkey) - The Group Phase action at the FIBA U18 European Championship is now complete with the Round of 16 matchups confirmed after an eventful third day.

Four teams remain unbeaten as France, Lithuania, Serbia and Spain all improved to 3-0 records with the competition now heading into a rest day ahead of the knockout stages.

Lithuania continued their strong start to the competition as they secured top spot in Group D with an emphatic 83-54 victory over Croatia - outscoring their opponents 41-20 in the second half. Paulius Murauskas led the team in scoring with 16 points with Motiejus Krivas adding a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Meanwhile, France came out on top in the unbeaten duel with Israel as they continue to lay down a marker on the tournament following an 82-66 success. The Group A winners led by as many as 31 points in the win with Zacharie Perrin starring with 20 points and 8 rebounds.

Spain swept through Group B as they defeated Poland 70-49 for their third win, while Serbia eased past Czech Republic in an 82-65 win to complete a perfect effort in Group C as five players were in double figures with both sides boosting their title credentials.

There was further joy for the hosts in front of a packed arena as Turkey came from behind to beat Germany in a 68-64 triumph with second spot already secured. Kerem Konan posted 21 points and 9 rebounds as his side turned up the heat on defense to limit Germany to just 5 points in the fourth to complete the turnaround.

Slovenia doubled their win tally after beating Greece 73-61 as they profited from 38 points from their bench including Alen Zulic's team-high total of 19 points, while Italy were convincing 76-41 winners over Montenegro as all 12 players got onto the scoresheet in a balanced effort.

Earlier, Great Britain bounced back from a tough start in Group A as they claimed their first win by edging out North Macedonia for a 71-69 triumph. Lane Campbell top scored with 19 points including five three-pointers as two of those came late in the fourth quarter with their reward a meeting with the hosts.

Round of 16 pairings (Wednesday, August 3):

France v Germany
Slovenia v Croatia
Turkey v Great Britain
Lithuania v Czech Republic
Israel v Poland
Serbia v Montenegro
Spain v North Macedonia
Italy v Greece

FIBA