FIBA Men U20: Group F shocks Group E in QFs
Italy’s Amedeo Della Valle a split second prior to releasing an off-balance triple that sliced the cords as the buzzer sounded, sending Italy and Lithuania into an extra five.
The clubs coming out of Group F dominated the Quarterfinals in the FIBA Men U20 European Championships as each of the four clubs won their matches on Friday sending all four into the semifinals. Group F No. 4 seed Russia defeated Group E No. 1 seed Turkey, 82:70; Group F No. 3 Spain dropped No. 2 Greece, 82:60; Group F No. 2 Italy beat Group E No. 3 Lithuania, 75:72, in OT; Group F No. 1 Latvia put a stop to Group E No. 4 Montenegro, 78:73.
Fridays results set up Saturday’s Semifinals where Latvia will take on Spain and Russia will square off against Italy.
Russia – Turkey, 82-70
Russia set the tone early in their quarterfinal contest with Turkey by getting up by 19 at the end of the first 10. It was a hole that the Turks just wouldn’t be able to dig themselves out of, giving the Russians a huge No. 4 over No. 1 upset, 82:70.
After their spectacular first quarter, Russia kept up the pressure, but No. 1 seeded Turkey also found their legs and started playing their game. Part-way through the second quarter they called a timeout and decided to shift to a 2-1-2 zone defense that was effective for a short period, allowing Turkey to cut the deficit to 14, until the Russians got their shooting game and sank consecutive triples to cause the Turks to pull the zone. As time ran out in the first half, the clubs had battled to a 24-all tie during the second quarter, giving Russia a 50:31 advantage heading into the break.
They also played to a 15:14 third quarter, with Turkey getting some steals off a full-court press they put on late in the frame. Russia had extended the lead to 25 with just under three minutes to play in the frame, but over the next five minutes that ended in the fourth, the Turks shut down the Russian offense and were able to cut the lead to 14 again with an 11:0 run.
Turkey was able to reduce the gap by six in the fourth, to get to within 12, but they ran out of time and the Russians earned passage to the semis.
Denis Zakharov was game-high with 24 for Russia, Maksim Sakharov added 14, and Artem Komolov contributed 13. Turkey’s Ramazan Tekin paced his club with 15 points.
Spain – Greece, 82:60
A 22:8 third quarter during which Spain completely shut down the Greek offense, was the key factor in this contest that was otherwise played very evenly. Unfortunately for Greece, Spain also won two of the remaining three quarter to put together a 22-point victory that earns Spain a spot in the final four.
Spain controlled the contest in the first half with Greece only able to get out front for a short time in the first frame. Spain regained the lead and then held on for the rest of the first 20, to head into the break with a 40:37 advantage.
The Spaniards turned up the heat on defense in the third and shut down the Greeks, while extending their lead to 23 points. They were able hold their ground in fourth and picked up a ticket to the final four with a 22-point win by holding Greece to 60 points after they had averaged over 73 points per game in the previous six contests.
Daniel Diez was game-high with 23 points for Spain, Jaime Fernandez added 21, and Alejandro Suarez contributed 14. Giannoulis Larentzakis was team-high with 15 and Lefteris Bochoridis added 14.
Italy – Lithuania, 75:72 OT
In the thriller of the day, Italy outlasted Lithuania after the two took their contest to an extra five.
The Lithuanians got out the the early lead, taking Q1 23:18. The second frame was a defensive battle as the two clubs only combined to score 17 points, with Lithuania adding a point to their advantage to take a 33:27 lead into the break. A 14:0 run by the Italians in the third frame turned the game around as Italy took the lead in the second with a 19:11 performance that helped build confidence in the smaller squad.
Lithuania got the lead off consecutive lay-ups by Valda Karinlauskas to put his club up 65:61 with nine seconds to play. Awudu Abass knocked down a triple for Italy to cut the gap to a point. Lithuania pushed it back to three by hitting two free throws. With four seconds on the clock, Amedeo Della Valle threw a bad inbounds pass that bounced off a Lithuanian player. Della Valled stepped in, grabbed the loose ball and fired up a last-second shot off one leg that hit the cords as the buzzer went off to knot the score at 67 and setting up the extra five.
A late steal in the overtime period was the difference, with Italy outscoring the Lithuanians 8:5 in the extra frame to earn a trip to the final four.
Of note, Lithuania turned the ball over 25 times, resulting in 33 Italy points.
Eric Lombardi picked up a 16R/10R double-double for Italy, Abass added 14. Osvaldas Olisevicius scored 14 for the Greeks.
Latvia – Montenegro, 78:73
Latvia survived a scrappy Montenegro squad that got the early lead and never gave up, but Latvia stayed strong, came back from the early deficit and ended up earning the spot in the final four with a 78:73 win.
Montenegro was the early aggressor, building a 22:10 advantage in the first frame, only to have Latvia cut the gap to 27:20 as the buzzer sounded on the first. Latvia was able to turn the game around in the second, outscoring Montenegro 19:10, to take a 39:37 margin into the break.
Latvia had built a lead in the third, only to have their opponents run off seven unanswered near the end of the frame to knot the score at 50. Kaspars Vecvagars hit a put-backer just before the buzzer to restore the Latvia two-point lead, 52:50, heading into the fourth.
Latvia went on a 16:2 run to open the final 10, getting up 66:52 with only 5:40 left to play. Montenegro wouldn’t give in though and pushed hard to come back, eventually getting to within five, 78:73, but still sending the Latvians to the next round.
Vecgavars was game high with 25 points for Latvia, Andrejs Grazulis and Ojars Silins scored 15 points each. Milos Latkovic scored 18 for Montenegro and Vukota Pavic added 15.