POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Essengue Noa
Quarterfinals
France – Italy 84-77
France outgunned Italy to enter the semifinal stage in Skopje. Essengue Noa (196-G-2006) scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace the winners. Italy enjoyed a 27-18 lead ten minutes into the game. But les Bleues used a 45-35 second half run to snatch the victory. Nolan Traore (190-PG-2006) delivered 19 points for the winners. Samuele Miccoli (188-G-2006) answered with 19 points for Italy.
Slovenia – Spain 68-87
Spain stormed past Slovenia in the quarterfinal clash. Spain led by 3 points at halftime 39-36. But they went on a 48-32 second half rally to secure a comfortable win at the end. Mario Saint-Supery (192-G/F-2006) tallied 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for Spain. Asier Miguel (195-G-2006) and Jorge Carot (203-F/C-2006) had 16 points each for the winners. Urban Kroflic (197-F-2006) answered with 29 points for Slovenia.
Lithuania – Turkey 79-68 OT
Lithuania survived an overtime thriller versus Turkey to reach the semifinal stage. Turkey grabbed a 27-15 lead ten minutes into the game. But Lithuania gradually denied the deficit. They held Turkey to just 11 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Lithuania limited their opponents to just 1 point in the extra period and got away with the victory. Mantas Laurencikas (189-G-2006) netted 23 points, while Nojus Indrusaitis (198-F-2006) added 17 points for the winners. Yagiz Aksu (192-G-2005) answered with 16 points for Turkey.
Israel – Greece 67-75
Greece defeated Israel to complete the semifinal pictured. Israel looked better in the first half. They posted a 37-33 halftime lead. But Greece responded with a 22-15 run in the third term to surge ahead. They followed with a 20-15 rally in the fourth period to seal the victory. Ben Saraf (195-G-2006) posted 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Omer Mayer (187-G-2006) added 11 points for Israel. Neoklis Avdalas (196-PG-2006, agency: Octagon Europe) replied with 29 points for Greece.
