{"id":315694,"date":"2025-08-03T23:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/315694\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T23:00:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T23:00:12","slug":"del-pino-magic-spain-claim-sixth-title-italy-return-to-podium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/315694\/","title":{"rendered":"Del Pino magic: Spain claim sixth title; Italy return to podium"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>BELGRADE (Serbia) &#8211; Guillermo Del Pino buried a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to give Spain an <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125858-ESP-FRA\" rel=\"noopener\">82-81<\/a> victory over France in the Final of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2025 and the country&#8217;s sixth crown at the event.<\/p>\n<p>It was a clash of titans that was preceded by Italy extending their record for the most third-place finishes to nine after beating Latvia. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, North Macedonia were the last team to be relegated to Division B, losing to Bulgaria in the showdown for the 13th place and thus joining Belgium and Sweden.<\/p>\n<p>Key Storylines<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><b>Del Pino wins it for Spain: The Spanish rally to beat France for sixth title;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><b>Italy return to the podium for the first time since 2016 by fighting past Latvia;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><b>Bulgaria send North Macedonia to Division B and save themselves after a furious fourth quarter.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Final<\/p>\n<p>France came into the Final already secured their first podium spot since 2018&#8217;s third place. But they were hungry to finally make it five titles. Spain for their part have reached the Final in four of the last five events &#8211; winning the crown in 2019 and 2022. And it would be a showdown of two of the continent&#8217;s bests. <\/p>\n<p>France were getting to the basket early and often and built a 17-11 lead in the opening frame. Spain punched back with a 14-2 surge to move ahead 25-19 and it was 25-22 after 10 minutes. <\/p>\n<p>The Spanish temporarily extended the lead to seven points midway through the second quarter but France were unimpressed and pulled back ahead themselves and the game was deadlocked 39-39 at halftime. <\/p>\n<p>France had the better start to the second half with some tough defense and led 49-43. And Elise Prodhomme&#8217;s team grabbed the first double-digit lead of the game at 57-47. <\/p>\n<p>The determined French defense produced enough stops to lead 64-53 going into the final quarter. <\/p>\n<p>France could not put away the Spanish and the Iberians&#8217; winning pedigree cut the deficit to five points with 5 minutes to go. But the French led just 79-71 after a big Hugo Yimga dunk with 41 seconds to play. <\/p>\n<p>Del Pino was not fazed, hitting a three-pointer and layup before going to the line for two free throws down 81-78 with 4.5 seconds to play. After making the first, he missed the second but Spain retained possession with 3.5 seconds to play. <\/p>\n<p>Raul Villar inbounded the ball to Del Pino on the left wing and he buried his third triple of the night and Spain won the trophy. <\/p>\n<p>Del Pino finished with 23 points, Andy Huelves scored 16 points and Ian Platteeuw chipped in 11 points and 6 rebounds. <\/p>\n<p>With their sixth title, Spain moved into sole possession of second-most U18 crowns behind only Soviet Union&#8217;s eight. Spain&#8217;s 2007-born players also managed to secure the generational double since seven of them won the championship at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023. <\/p>\n<p>Jonas Boulefaa led France with 19 points and Yimga&#8217;s 17 points and 9 rebounds were for nought as France remained on four titles &#8211; the last one dating back to 2016. The French now have four second placed finishes.<\/p>\n<p>Third Place Game<\/p>\n<p>Italy bounced back from their disappointing second half performance in the Semi-Finals to beat Latvia <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125857-ITA-LAT\" rel=\"noopener\">86-68<\/a> in the battle for third place. <\/p>\n<p>It was a continuation of Italy&#8217;s strong summer as the country won the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2025 crown. And the victory gave Italy&#8217;s 2007-born generation another medal after they finished second at both the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024. <\/p>\n<p>Italy started off hot and grabbed a double-digit lead early on at 16-6. Latvia could only get as close as seven points, 24-17 after 10 minutes. <\/p>\n<p>The Italians were up 41-28 when Latvia reeled off eight straight points to get close but were trailing 47-38 at halftime &#8211; with Lonati already on 18 points with 4 three-pointers. <\/p>\n<p>Latvia did not let Italy pull away and once got the gap to six points and were down 63-55 after 30 minutes. Italy finished off the game with a 10-2 start to the final frame for a 16-point advantage. <\/p>\n<p>Lonati finished with 27 points, Matteo Accorsi came off the bench for 10 points and Matteo Baiocchi chipped in 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.<\/p>\n<p>Top Performers<img alt=\"\" style=\"opacity:0;object-fit:cover\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The top performance of the final day of action went to Germany&#8217;s <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/teams\/germany\/340597-mathieu-grujicic\" rel=\"noopener\">Mathieu Grujicic<\/a> in a <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125855-TUR-GER\" rel=\"noopener\">73-64<\/a> win to take seventh place. The guard scored a tournament best 36 points, including making 12 of 15 free throws. Grujicic also grabbed 11 rebounds while also picking up 2 assists and 4 steals. All that resulted in an efficiency of 38 &#8211; which was just one point off Petar Ostojic&#8217;s tournament high of 39. <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/teams\/bulgaria\/325260-daniel-hinkov\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Hinkov<\/a> makes this list for a second straight day and helps Bulgaria avoid relegation with a masterful performance in the team&#8217;s <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125852-MKD-BUL\" rel=\"noopener\">90-87<\/a> win over North Macedonia for 13th place. Hinkov scored 23 points to go with 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals for an efficiency of 32. <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/teams\/greece\/346468-georgios-makaratzis\" rel=\"noopener\">Georgios Makaratzis<\/a> played a major role in Greece taking 11th place with <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125853-AUT-GRE\" rel=\"noopener\">108-78 <\/a>win over Austria. Makaratzis scored 17 points to go with 3 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals for an efficiency of 29.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/teams\/bulgaria\/306209-kaloyan-balkandzhiev\" rel=\"noopener\">Kaloyan Balkandzhiev<\/a> helped Hinkov keep Bulgaria in the Division A with a big showing of his own in their <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125852-MKD-BUL\" rel=\"noopener\">90-87<\/a> victory against North Macedonia. Balkandzhiev totalled 31 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist, steal and block each to register an efficiency of 27. <\/p>\n<p>The final spot on the list goes to <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/teams\/lithuania\/342144-dominykas-daubaris\" rel=\"noopener\">Dominykas Daubaris<\/a> who was outstanding in Lithuania&#8217;s <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125854-ISR-LTU\" rel=\"noopener\">106-65<\/a> win over Israel. The center scored 24 points &#8211; 10 more than his previous best in Belgrade &#8211; while also tallying 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block and an efficiency of 26.<\/p>\n<p>Results of the DayFinal <\/p>\n<p>Spain <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125858-ESP-FRA\" rel=\"noopener\">82-81<\/a> France<\/p>\n<p>Third Place Game <\/p>\n<p>Italy <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125857-ITA-LAT\" rel=\"noopener\">86-68<\/a> Latvia<\/p>\n<p>Classification 5-6<\/p>\n<p>Serbia <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125856-SRB-SLO\" rel=\"noopener\">74-69<\/a> Slovenia<\/p>\n<p>Classification 7-8<\/p>\n<p>T\u00fcrkiye <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125855-TUR-GER\" rel=\"noopener\">64-73<\/a> Germany<\/p>\n<p>Classification 9-10<\/p>\n<p>Israel <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125854-ISR-LTU\" rel=\"noopener\">65-106<\/a> Lithuania<\/p>\n<p>Classification 11-12<\/p>\n<p>Austria <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125853-AUT-GRE\" rel=\"noopener\">78-108<\/a> Greece<\/p>\n<p>Classification 13-14<\/p>\n<p>North Macedonia <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125852-MKD-BUL\" rel=\"noopener\">87-90<\/a> Bulgaria<\/p>\n<p>Classification 15-16<\/p>\n<p>Belgium <a class=\"_1pmct9j0\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/en\/events\/fiba-u18-eurobasket-2025\/games\/125851-BEL-SWE\" rel=\"noopener\">85-78<\/a> Sweden<\/p>\n<p><b>FIBA<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BELGRADE (Serbia) &#8211; Guillermo Del Pino buried a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to give Spain an 82-81&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315695,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[2000,299,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-315694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-spain"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}