U17 World Championships Day 3 Recap
The quarterfinals of the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championships are set. Canada, Spain, and defending champions United States managed to top their groups with undefeated records.
Group A was ruled and dominated by the United States in the first round. They capped it off by cruising passed Egypt 104-57. Markus Howard led a balanced attack by the champs with 19 points. Turkey claimed the second spot in the group stage with their 2-1 record. They kept Chinese Taipei winless thanks to a 76-56 win. Ahmed Can Duran dominated the Taiwanese squad with a double-double performance with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Hosts Spain kept control of Group B, edging Argentina 59-49, and kept their perfect record intact. Sergi Martinez was unstoppable in the post with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Lithuania demolished the Mali squad 96-73 to secure second place in the group. They overcame a game-high scoring effort by Abdoul Karim Coulibay to complete the win.
Group C’s Canada was running on all cylinders as it blew passed China in a landslide 105-54 blowout. RJ Barrett paced the Canadians with 17 points. The loss was the second for the Asian giant, but they still managed to lock up second place in the group. Australia defeated Finland 77-62, as both teams ended the third day with identical 1-2 records.
France beat the Dominican Republic 78-48 and claimed the top spot of Group D. Eddy Kayouloud led the French youth team with 15 points. France ended the day with a 2-1 record and claimed the top spot. Bosnia and Herzegovina secured second, also sporting a 2-1 win-loss record. They handed Korea its first loss of the tournament, 105-85. Dzanan Musa went on beast mode and exploded for 36 points and 11 rebounds. Korea managed to keep up with their own 2-1 slate in this competitive group, but ended up in third.