THE Under 19s World Cup is underway in Hungary and while the winners from the men’s have already been decided with the United States claiming victory, the women’s has just finished the group stage. We take a look at the results from the final group stage.

Spain (61) defeated by France (65)

It was an incredibly tight tussle between Spain and France with the latter just sneaking home with a four-point victory. After jumping out to a 13-point lead at quarter time the wheels slowly fell off for Spain throughout the remainder of the game as France claimed the ascendancy. The momentum really swung in the third with Spain managing just six points before France put the nail in the coffin in the final term.

Txell Alarcon Otero was the most proficient scorer out on court for Spain slotting 15 points at 55 per cent from the field. Claudia Contell was the next best for Spain producing 12 points, six rebounds and two assists in the loss. Pauline Astier was influential for France with her 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in just 22 minutes of play. Serena Kessler also chimed in with 11 points and six rebounds as Seehia Sida Abega was the only other player to reach double-digits with 10 points to her name.

Brazil (74) defeated by Korea (80)

The contest was just as close between Brazil and Korea with only six points separating the two sides at the final buzzer. In the end it was Korea that reigned supreme thanks to a gallant third term of action piling on 23 points to just 13. Although Brazil fought back in the final stanza it was not enough to change the outcome of the game and they will be ruing their missed opportunities.

It was a one-woman show for Brazil as Maiara Pereira dazzled for Brazil draining a whopping game-high 30 points. Not only did she dominate on the points scoring front but so too off the boards with 20 rebounds to her name, 13 of which were offensive. Geovana Thaina Neves de Oliveria also found her groove with her 12 points and five rebounds as Maisa Pereira reeled in 11 rebounds. For Korea both Suhyeon Sim and Sohee Park managed 18 points apiece in the win as Sooah Cho collected a double-double with her 13 points and 10 assists. She was not the only one to record a double-double with Haeran Lee producing 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Mali (88) defeated Canada (62)

Mali flexed their muscles against Canada to clinch a commanding 26 point win. Mali raced out of the blocks in the first term pouring on 27 points to 15 and did not take their foot off the accelerator throughout the contest, steadily extending their buffer to 18 points at half time. Canada picked things up in the third but that was short lived as Mali had all the answers in the fourth to slam the door shut and claim a solid win.

Only one player on Mali’s 12 player roster did not register a point throughout the game highlighting the number of contributors across the board. Kamite Elisabeth Dabou led the way with 18 points and four rebounds as Sika Kone got busy with her 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. Aminata Brahima Sangare chimed in with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Yvonne Ejim worked tirelessly for Canada topscoring thanks to her 15 points and six rebounds as Shayeann Day Wilson managed a handy 10 points and nine assists just falling short of a double-double.

Japan (58) defeated Czech Republic (63)

A mere five points was the decided between Japan and Czech Republic with the latter just doing enough to claim the “W”. Japan pushed their opponents onto the back foot in the first quarter establishing an 11 points lead before Czech Republic flipped the switch in the second with a six to 17 point term swinging momentum in their favour. The flow of the game swung back and forth but in the end it was the Czech Republic that held on for long enough to win.

Aika Hirashita made her presence felt piling on 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals for Japan while teammate Ufuoma Tanaka was the only other player able to hit double-digits thanks to her 10 points. Dominika Paurova had a game to remember for Czech Republic registering a double-double with her 17 points and 10 rebounds in a tick over 25 minutes of play. She was ably assisted by Katerina Zeithammerova and Valentyna Kadlecova who finished with 15 and 11 points respectively in the win.

Russia (72) defeated Chinese Taipei (45)

After a sluggish start to the game Russia kicked things up a notch in the second to run rampant over Chinese Taipei and produce a 27-point win. Sitting at 15 points apiece at quarter time Russia opened up the flood gates in the second credit to their 26 points while keeping their opponents to a mere six. That trajectory continued in the second half as they outscored Chinese Taipei albeit by seven points.

Anastasiia Odintcova led the troops with her 20 points and 11 rebounds in an all-round solid performance. Teammate Olairi Kosu also imposed herself for Russia sinking 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Shu Chun Tang did the heavy lifting for Chinese Taipei with her 11 points as Yi Hua Li was the next closest with nine points, four rebounds and two assists.

Hungary (80) defeated Argentina (29)

It was a blowout between Hungary and Argentina with the former claiming the chocolates credit to a scintillating 51-point win. The game started off on a much tighter note with Hungary heading into quarter time up by two points but they flicked a switch in the second leaving Argentina in the dark. A two-point lead turned into a 270point buffer and by three quarter time Argentina only had 19 points to their name compared to Hungary’s 61. The final quarter was the nail in the coffin as Hungary oozed nothing but confidence and class.

Hungary shared the points around with every single player hitting the scoreboard. But it was Reka Dombai that was the most proficient finishing with 16 points to her name while Julia Boros managed 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. Zsuzsanna Sitku was also influential with her eight points, six rebounds and two blocks. Scoring was hard to come by for Argentina however it was Milagros Maza that stepped up to the plate with seven points and four rebounds. Lucial Sampietro also chimed in for a handy six points with her impressive accuracy from down town.

Italy (42) defeated by Australia (58)

Australia managed to record a convincing 16 point win over Italy leading from start to finish. The Aussies made their intentions clear in the opening stanza creating a handy six-point buffer and while Italy managed to reduce that deficit at half time to four, Australia turned the screws in the third to reclaim the ascendancy. Australia increased their pressure in offence and defence in the final term keeping Italy to just seven points to cruise to victory.

Ilaria Panzera was the number one threat for Italy producing 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals. Guilia Natali also showcased her explosiveness adding eight points to the tally despite only playing 10 minutes. for Australia Dallas Loughridge led the charge with 10 points and two rebounds as Jade Melbourne got busy with her nine points and three rebounds. Millie Prior dominated off the boards with an impressive 14 rebounds while also slotting eight points.

Egypt (36) defeated by USA (97)

The United States well and truly showcased their star power against Egypt coming out and dominating in the first quarter and not relenting throughout the match. In fact, the United States won every single quarter but really set themselves up for victory in the first thanks to a 34-7 opener. Egypt somewhat found their groove in the second but that was quickly thrown out the window after half time, only managing four points in the third while USA slotted 26 to sew up the win.

Egypt’s Salma Heshameldin Ismail Ismail impressed with her 13 points shooting at 33 per cent from the field. She also collected two rebounds and two steals while teammate Yara Hussein chimed in with a handy eight points and nine rebounds. For the US, Azzi Fudd was the dominant scorer racking up 18 points, three rebounds and five assists. Both Caitlin Clark and Sonia Citron finished with 13 points to their name with the latter also showcasing her strength off the board to reel in 11 rebounds and seven assists. Lauren Betts also impressed defensively with a combined 13 rebounds in the win.

Photo credit: FIBA