After four exciting quarterfinals, Turkey, Germany, Spain and Japan remain in the competition to compete for the Junior World title in Phuket, Thailand.
Turkey were the first to book their spot in the semi-finals with a decisive win over the USA, 81-54, An incredible triple-double (35pts, 14rbs, 10as) from Mucahit Gunaydin spearheaded Turkey as the USA struggled to contain the height of the Turkish bigs.
Next up, Japan rebounded from their disappointing performance in their last pool game against Spain, to get back on track with a victory over Israel. A high-intensity defensive performance from Japan limited Israel to just 43 points, outscoring them by 21 points allowing them to progress through to the semi-finals, 43-64.
Australia came out firing and surprised favourites Spain in the first half of the third quarter-final, leading by 4 points at the break. But Óscar Onrubia (20 points) and Ignacio Ortega (26 points) fuelled a second-half comeback to rally Spain from 11 down to take the game, 77-63, and deny Australia a semi-final spot.
The final quarter-final game did not disappoint as Brazil matched Germany with the teams going toe to toe throughout the first three quarters. A dominant fourth quarter from Germany, 26-8, ensured the European team the win, 65-46, and a place in the final four.
The IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship semi-finals will see Germany take on fellow European team Turkey, whilst Spain and Japan will face off in a rematch from the group stages on Thursday 15 September.
In the 9-12 Crossover games, Canada and France both cruised through to the 9-10 Place Game, easing past South Africa (71-30) and Thailand (68-34), respectively.
DAY 9 SCHEDULE – QUARTER-FINALS
09:00 – 11-12 Place – South Africa v Thailand
11:00 – 9-10 Place – France v Canada
13:00 – 5-8 Crossover - USA v Brazil
15:00 – 5-8 Crossover – Israel v Australia
17:00 – Semi-Final 1 – Germany v Turkey
19:00 – Semi-Final 2 – Spain v Japan
Follow all the action from the 2021 IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship
Photo Credit: Shingo ITO – X-1
