Day 3 at the European Championships in Sarajevo
ECMWA 2025
Exciting games in Sarajevo at the 2025 European Championship for Men & Women.
ITA 53-67 GBR (M)
European champions Great Britain produced a gritty performance to overcome Italy 67-53 to go 2-0 in Group B.
In the battle of the two heavyweights in this competition, GB pulled clear in the third quarter, thanks to Gregg Warburton, whose trademark mid-range shot was on point as he led the victors with 18 points and two steals. Abdi Jama came off the bench to add 11, with all of his points almost exclusively coming from the mid-range as well.
Italy battled hard, but their shot just didn’t drop in the third, and when they fell into foul trouble late on, GB were able to extend their lead further at the free-throw line.
Filippo Carossino had 14 points and seven board for Italy, who fall to 1-1.
AUT 47-85 POL (M)
Poland got back on track with an 85-47 win v Austria. They were clinical from the get go with their veteran players still showing their class calibre.
Dominik Mosler (20pts, 76% from the field) and Krzysztof Bandura (17pts, 61% from the field) shone through in particular. A confidence boost following their earlier loss.
NED 78-38 SUI (W)
With two teams looking for their first win of the group stage the Netherlands struck the first blow as Mattijs Bellers made 3 baskets to start the period. Switzerland answered back with four from Husein Vardo but the Netherlands were able to hold off the Swiss comeback to take a 14-12 lead into the second quarter where they started to pull away, stretching out to a 34-23 lead at halftime.
The Dutch turned defence into offense finishing with 30 points from turnovers as Quinten Zantinge went on a third quarter run himself scoring 10 straight.
A huge 12 point, 14 assist and 7 steal game Robin Poggenwisch helped the Netherlands seal the win 78-38 and Arie Twigt led the way in scoring off the bench with 22 points.
Vardo for Switzerland finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
GER 109-39 BIH (M)
Paralympic bronze medalists Germany made light work of hosts Bosnia & Herzegovina with a big 109-39 win.
Comfortable from the get go, Germany used this as an opportunity to test their younger players. Maxi Lammering top scored with 24pts in his first senior tournament.
For the hosts, it gave them a chance to test themselves against one of the strongest nations in the history of the sport.
ESP 44-75 NED (M)
The Netherlands made it 2 wins from 2 games as they continued their 2023 title defence in strong fashion.
They started with a 22-0 run to in the first quarter led by Xena Wimmenhoeve, before Spain’s Captain Sonia Ruiz came off the bench to get her team on the scoreboard. A 21 point first half from Wimmenhoeve put the Dutch in good position with a 43-18 lead heading into the third. Spain outscored the Netherlands 18-14 in the final frame behind 12 points from Beatriz Zudaire hitting shots from the elbow and Isabel Lopez crashing the boards but it wasn’t enough to hold off the reigning champions who closed out a 75-44 win behind a combined 58 points from Bo Kramer and Wimmenhoeve.
Kramer scored 29 points and added 15 rebounds while Wimmenhoeve finished with 29 points and 9 rebounds for the Netherlands.
For Spain, Zudaire finished with a team high 14 points along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
ISR 60-83 FRA (M)
A second-half ambush propelled France to an 83-60 win over Israel in Group B.
After a fiercely contested first half, where France had led by as many as 15 points before being pegged back to as little as six by a stubborn Israeli outfit, the French moved up a gear in the third and blitzed their way past their counterparts, with their lead eventually peaking at 26.
Christophe Carlier posted his second straight 20-point performance for the winners, along with nine rebounds, with veteran Nicolas Jouanserre adding 17. France improved to 2-0 in Group B.
Amit Vigoda led Israel with 18 points, as they fell to 0-2.
ESP 56-55 TUR (W)
An absolute nail-biter between Spain and Türkiye in men’s Group A.
Spain sealed the 56-55 victory with Òscar Onrubia coming in clutch with 5 seconds left.
Türkiye held a 5-point lead at the end of the first, followed by a low scoring affair from both teams to end the half which saw Spain struggle from the free throw line.
The third quarter proved to be the difference maker for the victors, holding Türkiye to just 6 points whilst they forged ahead significantly. Despite this, it didn’t stop Türkiye from almost pulling off a comeback but a determined Spain were able to see it through.
FRA 17-89 GER (W)
Germany opened their 2025 campaign with a 89-17 win over France.
Wasting no time getting started, Mareike Miller hit the first shot of the game for Germany and a 6 point run from Lisa Bergenthal in the first quarter gave them a 26-7 lead at the end of the opening period.
France showed their potential and developing young talent out on the court as Maria Augustin found a path to the basket in the second half but a strong showing from the German bench who accumulated 42 points gave them the win.
Miller led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 88% from the field, also adding 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Making her debut in a national team jersey, Roli-Ann Neubauer finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench.
For France Louise Dookun-Leber and Lucie Nolet had 5 points each.
wrap ups: Caroline Bullock, John Hobbs, Dylan Cummings
photo: Mansoor Ahmed
