Malta 53

San Marino 43

(12-12, 12-13, 15-12, 14-6)

The Maltese Junior male team registered an important win in the penultimate day of the competition when facing San Marino in an encounter valid for the 5th to 8th placings in the 5th edition of the Junior Promotion Cup.

The two sides were balanced overall but the locals showed much more determination in the final stages.

The first period finished 12-a-piece and the situation did not change much in the second period as San Marino changed ends with a minimal lead, 25-24.

Led by the never-tiring Matthew Shoults and Emmanuel Lupo's fine shooting from within the key, despite being injured, the Maltese took the upper hand and opened a five-point lead with the opponents resorting to fouls in order to stop the clock, but this only helped Malta to increase further their lead.

Malta will now play tomorrow against Monaco, who easily beat Gibraltar 81-35, in a game valid for the 5th place.

Malta: G. Muscat 4, C. Busuttil 4, J. Antonich, T. Vella, C. Cassar 8, K. Galea, S. Deguara, C. Calleja 2, E. Lupo 10, M. Shoults 13, L. Ross 8, J. Bonnici 4.

In the meantime, in the same tournament, Maltese FIBA international referee Bernard Vassallo was nominated to control today's final between Scotland and Andorra who respectively beat Wales and Luxembourg in the semifinals.

Other results

Monaco-Gibraltar 81-25; Andorra-Luxembourg 82-76