Slovenia U18 crush hosts Italy to win European Championship
Slovenia's under-18 basketball team defeated tournament hosts Italy 88:71 in Sunday's European Championship final. Latvia, who lost to the eventual champions in the round of 16, finished without medals.
The men's U18 European Championship came to a close on Sunday, August 2, with Slovenia claiming the title after a convincing 88:71 victory over Italy in the final. The quarter scores were 27:15, 23:22, 20:15 and 18:19.
Stefan Joksimović led the champions with 24 points, adding eight rebounds and six assists. Jusuf Karišik recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Igor Stjepanović chipped in 15 points.
Italy had only one player reach double figures: Papa Niang scored 27 points. His closest teammate, Federico Botelli, finished with nine.
Slovenia dominated the boards 48–34 and shot more efficiently from the field. Italy converted just 25 of 73 attempts (34.3%), while Slovenia hit 28 of 60 (46.7%).
Both finalists, along with Spain and France, secured spots at the 2027 U19 World Cup in the Czech Republic. Germany claimed the fifth and final quota by routing Greece 99:69.
Latvia's U18 side had been eliminated by Slovenia in the round of 16, falling 76:86, and thus took no part in the medal matches.
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