Finland made history by securing their first-ever European title as they stunned two-time defending champions France in Saturday’s Final at the FIBA U16 Women’s EuroBasket 2024.
They had already secured a maiden medal by beating Italy in the Semi-Finals, and they backed up the victory with a 49-47 triumph over previously unbeaten France.
Paced by the trio of double-digit scorers in Jessi Nenonen, Aino Koskela and Anna Gardziella, Finland had the upper hand for most of the contest, leading by as many as 12 points in the third quarter.
France managed to make it a close game down the stretch, holding the Finns to just four points in the final stanza – but couldn’t find their own rhythm offensively.
Kathy-Emma Otto of France headlined the All-Star Five after being named the MVP of the tournament, with the selection rounded out by her teammate Emma Broliron, Jessi Nenonen from Finland, Italy’s Isabel Hassan as well as Somtochukwu-Blessed Okafor of Spain.
After topping Italy in the Third-Place Game, Spain have landed on the podium for the fifth time in a row, but still await an end to their title wait, with the last one coming in 2016.
Elsewhere, in Division B, Czechia, Romania and Great Britain earned promotion in Konya, Türkiye.
The trio will replace Greece, Sweden and Montenegro in Division A next summer after they finished in the bottom three. Croatia ensured they kept their top-flight status with victory over the Montenegrins to secure 13th spot.
Final Standings
- Finland
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Belgium
- Slovenia
- Germany
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Serbia
- Poland
- Israel
- Croatia
- Montenegro
- Greece
- Sweden
Credit: FIBA
