Astier leads French renaissance as Quarter-Finals confirmed

SOPRON (Hungary) - Eight nations are still gunning for the podium at the FIBA U20 Women's European Championship in Sopron after the conclusion of the Round of 16 on Tuesday.

There was a much-needed renaissance for France as they bounced back from a surprise two losses in the Group Phase to move to the last eight by beating Sweden 73-57.

The return of Pauline Astier who missed their previous game was vital and the guard weighed in with a near triple double of 10 rebounds, 9 points and 9 assists.

France's next opponents are Portugal, who had little difficulty in advancing with a straightforward 90-54 win against Bulgaria. Jessica Azulay came up big with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Hungary had to work hard to shrug off a resilient Finland side 84-74 in a win that delighted the locals. Reka Dombai was again influential with another sublime line, this time harvesting 27 points, 8 assists, 4 boards and 3 steals.

The hosts have a tough-looking Quarter-Finals clash against Spain, who showed their class by breezing past Ireland 87-30. Claudia Contell stood out with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

Czech Republic jumped all over Belgium from the outset, powering their way to a 65-42 triumph in a victory that was built on a huge rebounding display. They out-boarded their opponents 51-36 and had Valentyna Kadlecova top scoring with 15 points.

Poland enjoyed their Round of 16 win as they look forward to the Quarter-Finals

The Czechs will face Poland in the Quarter-Finals after they proved too much for Latvia. Poland strolled to a 70-54 win that was founded on a strong second quarter showing. They also had Kamila Borkowska coming up with a smart 14 points and 5 blocks.

Italy overwhelmed Netherlands 76-36, repeating the pattern of past games with a quick start and suffocating defense. Caterina Gilli showed her teeth again with an impressive double-double of 13 points and 10 boards.

Italy will now go up against Serbia, who relied on Nevena Rosic showing out as her excellent 23 points propelled them past Lithuania 71-41. Turnovers were again the issue for the Lithuanians, this time spilling the ball 34 times, while Serbia lit it up from long range with 11 three-pointers. 

Quarter-Finals pairings (Wednesday, July 13):

FIBA