Australia win 2016 FIBA U17 Women’s

Zaragoza, Spain, July 2, 2016: Australia won a historic first-ever title at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship in Zaragoza after storming to a 62-38 victory over Italy in Saturday’s Final.

The Sapphires went a perfect 6-0 over the course of the tournament and locked down the Italian offense in the title game, keeping their talented frontcourt under control. On offense, they used a sensational team effort as point guard Monique Conti led the way with 18 points, captain Jasmine Simmons added a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds and Ezi Magbegor chipping in with 13 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks.

The USA, the winners of the first three editions of the FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship, went some way to easing the pain of relinquishing their grasp on the title by beating China 65-50 to finish third.

Magbegor was rewarded for her impressive play throughout the Championship by being named the Most Valuable Player, presented by Tissot. She headlined the All-Star Five which also featured her team-mates Conti and Simmons, Italy’s Sara Madera and Xu Han of China.

In Saturday’s Classification 5-8 games, the Czech Republic beat hosts Spain 63-51 to finish 5th, Canada sealed 7th place with a narrow 58-53 win against France. Friday’s Classification 9-16 contests saw Japan finish inside the top 10 with a 72-67 defeat of Latvia, while Mali beat Portugal 69-47 to secure 11th place, while Brazil took 13th place after getting the better of Mexico 64-39.

Final standings of the 2016 FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship*:
1. Australia
2. Italy
3. USA
4. China
5. Czech Republic
6. Spain
7. Canada
8. France
9. Japan
10. Latvia
11. Mali
12. Portugal
13. Brazil
14. Mexico
15. Korea
* Nigeria did not take its place in the competition. —- FIBA