Halfway through the group stages of the 2025 European Championship
ECMWA 2025
Overtime between Germany and Türkiye to start day 4, followed by intense games throughout the day.
BIH 80-75 AUT (M)
Hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrated a historic first win in the IWBF European Championships with a deserved 80-75 victory over Austria in front of a vocal home crowd in Group A.
The Bosnians held their nerve when it mattered, after leading by as many as ten points, Austria pegged them back in a nervy finish, but led by Nermin Hujic’s triple-double of 30 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, they crept over the finish line to mass hysteria from the home crowd.
Ramo Rekanovic added 26, and Iron Man Strahinja Rosuljas had 22 points in a superb showing.
Hubert Hager led Austria with 34 points and 14 rebounds, but they remain winless in Group A.
NED 41-51 ITA (M)
Italy regroup and go 2-1 in the competition with a low scoring but highly intense game against the Netherlands, ending 51-41.
It was all even stevens in the first at 13-apiece which escalated to a narrow 3-point lead for Italia at the half.
It was the third quarter where the Italians edged ahead, limiting the Dutch to just 5 points in that period whilst they themselves went on a run, with crucial scores from Andrea Giaretti (12pts) and captain Filippo Carossino (11pts.)
Netherlands tried to muster a comeback, scoring 8 unanswered points at the beginning of the fourth but Italy were able to put a stop to it in the final minutes to secure the 10-point victory.
POL 79-54 ESP (M)
Spain romped to a 79-54 victory over Poland with Manuel Lorenzo the star of the show in their Group A battle.
Lorenzo went for 27 points and eight rebounds, shooting a sublime 61 percent from the field as Spain recovered from a 19-16 first-quarter deficit to race away from their Polish counterparts.
The Spanish outscored Poland 45-15 in the second and third quarters to create breathing space between the two sides, as Spain improved to 3-0 in Group A.
Poland was led by a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards by Mateusz Filipski but drop to 2-2 in the group.
FRA 63-96 GBR (M)
Great Britain go 3-0 in Group B with a convincing 96-63 win over France.
Dominant from the outset, it allowed GB the opportunity to rotate different line-ups per quarter, alternating predominantly between their starting 5 and their speed-focused youngsters.
GB shot 70% from the free throw line as team which massively contributed to their solid performance.
Fast-paced Lee Fryer ended the game as top scorer with 16pts, shooting 7 of 10 from the field.
GBR 46-29 GER (W)
A defensive masterclass from Great Britain led them to a crucial 46-29 victory over Germany in Sarajevo.
Defensively, they were tenacious. Offensively, GB needed two quarters to get the job done, outscoring the Germans 14-5 in the second and, most importantly, 12-6 in a pivotal final period, where they held Germany to 26 percent from the floor.
Amy Conroy and Laurie Williams both had 13 points to lead GB, with the latter pulling down 13 boards for a double-double, keeping them perfect from two games.
Roli-Ann Neubauer led Germany with 14 points off the bench, as they fall to 1-1.
ESP 62-24 FRA (W)
Spain picked up their first win of the group stage against France after coming out strong to start the first quarter. 9 points in the quarter from Spain’s Isabel Lopez provided them with a 22-6 lead heading into the second. France put up 8 points in a second quarter that saw Eva David provide a spark off the bench as she put up 4 points, and came away with 2 steals and 2 rebounds in the period, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Spanish who took a 34-14 lead at the half.
Beatriz Zudaire found her spots on the court as she helped extend the Spanish lead 49-19 in the third while a 3 point buzzer beater from rising young star Maria Augustin provided cheers from the French contingent. A final score of 62-24 got Spain into the win column.
Zudaire led all scorers with 26 for Spain, along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Victoria Vilariño added 13 points off the bench.
For France Anne-Sophie Rubler put up 9 points.
SUI 43-83 ISR (M)
Israel get their first win of the tournament with a big 83-43 win over Switzerland.
The Israelis young starting 5 of Vigoda, Menachem, Lasri, Dagamin and Barbibay secured a steady 10-point lead at the end of the first and it just kept building from there, they began to comfortably take control.
The calibre of competition in Division A continues to be a tough task for Switzerland as a win still eludes their side.
Dagamin ended the game as top scorer with 18pts, shooting 57% from the field.
GER 88-82 TUR (M) (overtime)
A thriller in group A between Germany and Türkiye started with a back and forth 1st quarter as Germany went up 6 early on but Türkiye fought back to take a one point lead at the end of the opening period. They stretched out their lead to 13 in the second before Germany chipped away and a Alexander Keiser shot on the buzzer brought them back within 8 at halftime.
Türkiye finished the first half shooting 64% from the field to Germany’s 51%, taking a 47-39 lead into the half behind a captain’s performance from Ferit Gümüş who put up 20 first half points. Teams matched each other blow for blow in the second half as Germany held a 2 point lead at the end of the third quarter. Türkiye took the lead back with 7:06 in the fourth with nothing separating either team. With Germany down 2 and 7 seconds on the clock in regulation and possession, Alexander Budde cut to the basket for a layup at the buzzer to take the game to overtime. The extra period followed the same script until Germany pulled away in the final 30 seconds closing out 88-82 to remain unbeaten in Group A.
Captain Thomas Böhme led the way for Germany with 28 points, and 13 assists while Matthias Güntner finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
For Turkey Uğur Toprak put up 31 points, hitting 5 from behind the arc and Ahmet Efetürk racked up a triple double of 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.
wrap ups: Caroline Bullock, John Hobbs, Dylan Cummings
photo: Steffie Wunderl
