New Zealand and Slovenia Reach U17 World Cup Top 8 for First Time
Slovenia and New Zealand have qualified for the quarterfinals of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup for the first time, after winning their round-of-16 games in Brno, Czech Republic.
On Wednesday, July 17, the round of 16 of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup concluded in Brno, Czech Republic, determining the eight quarterfinalists. European U16 vice-champion Slovenia defeated Italy 66-44, while Asian vice-champion New Zealand beat Colombia 60-40. Both teams reached the top eight for the first time in history.
Other favorites also progressed. USA crushed Mexico 112-36, Australia beat Germany 71-45, China defeated Latvia 83-60, Spain routed Côte d'Ivoire 87-33, Japan topped Egypt 80-53, and Canada overcame Czech Republic 67-40.
The top eight consists of both European U16 finalists—Spain and Slovenia—the top four from the Asian Cup—Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China—and the Americas finalists USA and Canada. USA, Australia, and Spain have reached the top eight for the eighth consecutive time; Japan for the seventh; Canada for the sixth; and China for the third.
Quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday, July 17: USA vs. Slovenia, Australia vs. Japan, China vs. Canada, and Spain vs. New Zealand. Latvia, after losing to China, will play in the classification round for places 9-16, starting with a match against Czech Republic.
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