EuroBasket Women 2017 Day 4 Report
Picture: FIBA.com
The battle for quarter final spots resulted in tense match-ups, big surprises and superb displays of skill as EuroBasket Women 2017 starts to heat up.
Serbia vs Latvia
Latvia were outstanding in their fight for a quarter final spot against Serbia. With five players scoring in double digits and stand out performances from Kristine Vitova and Anete Steinberga, they played exceptional basketball on both ends of the floor. Serbia would build momentum at the mid-point of the game, and would even take the lead, but their stamina and lack of defence would let them down. Latvia held their nerve to see out the narrow win, 75 points to 70.
Ukraine vs Slovakia
Zuzana Zirkova was doing it all for Slovakia against Ukraine, with an MVP-worthy performance of 31 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Their continued dominance from the outside and were composed when executing plays, which would see them put their stamp on the game early. Alina Iagupova initiated the Ukrainian fight back, her 24 points helped Ukraine give the Slovaks a scare in the third quarter, but Slovakia continued their form and their accuracy from the foul line would help them cement a tremendous 82-68 victory.
Russia vs Greece
In the opening minutes of the game it looked as though it was Russia's to win, but a display of skills and teamwork from Greece signaled this would not be so straightforward. Artemis Spanou’s tough interior play and good outside shooting put Russia under pressure, the Russians though were able to match their opponents’ offensive efforts. Exceptional defence from Maria Vadeeva – she would finish with a total of 21 rebounds – would keep them in contention, but in the business end of the game they started to fall behind. Styliani Kaltsidou’s wonderful performance – 24 points and 9 rebounds – powered the Greeks into a lead that reached as high as 15. Russia attempted a fight back but couldn’t do enough in time, and Greece were able to see out a four point win, 62-58.
Italy vs Hungary
Hungary put on a display of great skill and Italy were deadly from downtown in this tense encounter in Hradec, where both teams played under extreme pressure. Hungary communicated well and pulled off some great inside moves, not seen from them before in the tournament, while for Italy it was all, once again, Cecilia Zandalasini, who created chances for both herself and her teammates. Despite Italy’s firepower, Hungary got themselves in front late in the game, but a late three from Francesca Dotto would give Italy a one-point lead. Italy missed their final attempt at basket with 13 seconds left and Hungary looked to take it right at the death, but a steal from Giorgia Sottana in the final seconds sealed the deal for Italy, who celebrated a hard-earned 49-48 win.
After yet another day of top-notch basketball in this outstanding tournament, the winning teams in these playoffs now advance to the quarter finals. The bracket now looks like this:
Spain vs Latvia
Belgium vs Italy
Turkey vs Greece
France vs Slovakia
With hard-to-call contests still to come, there should be more tense, competitive games in store.
Play will resume on Thursday 22nd, until then, for updates and more visit the tournament's official website.
