Day 5: Hosts Hungary and favorites Spain lose thrilling Quarter-Finals

Sopron (FIBA U18 European Championship 2017) - In a thrilling Day 5 complete with upsets, Belgium stunned the locals after defeating hosts Hungary 59-56 in the Quarter-Finals.

A physical Belgium overwhelmed Hungary for most of the game and led by 17 points at one point. However, buoyed by a vocal home crowd, Hungary fought back and led at various points in the final quarter. However, Belgium clung on to win a spot in the final four. 

Defending champions France produced an upset 51-45 victory over Spain in an absorbing Quarter-Final. A physical France, who had been shaky in the Group Phase, played a defensive masterclass to overwhelm Spain, who had cruised to the Quarter-Finals.

The Czech Republic's golden tournament continued when they thrashed Sweden 62-40 in the Quarter-Finals. The Czech Republic dominated from the get go and used smothering defense to stifle Sweden, whose star guard Klara Lundquist shot just 5-of-22 from the floor for 13 points. However, star Veronika Vorackova had a setback with an injury to her mouth, which damaged a tooth. Her status is uncertain for the Semi-Finals. 

In the last Quarter-Final, Serbia outlasted Slovenia 74-63.They controlled the tempo of the game and led throughout despite Slovenia's best attempts at a comeback. Ivana Raca was a spark off the bench with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Teja Gorsic scored 18 points.

In Classification 9-16 action, previously winless Croatia defeated Lithuania 69-67. In typical fashion, Lithuania started cold and trailed by 18 points at one point. However, they came back hard down the stretch to trail by just 2 points with 0.7 seconds left but missed a game-tying shot.

Russia thrashed Turkey 84-44 in a game they dominated from the get go, while Italy put aside the disappointment of losing in the Round of 16 with a convincing 82-57 victory over Latvia.

In the other game, Bosnia and Herzegovina upset Greece 80-65 in their first win of the tournament.

The Semi-Finals on Day 6 will be: 

Czech Republic v Belgium

France v Serbia 

You can follow how the day's play unfolded on Live Updates.

Check out full replays on YouTube.com/FIBA

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