Relegation Round

Maryna Ivashchanka led the way for Belarus with 13 points and 15 rebounds as they picked up their first win

Belarus cruised to a 64-50 win over Romania to get off on the right foot in the battle against relegation at the U20 European Championship Women. 

An 11-2 run across the first and second quarters gave Belarus a 26-16 lead on Maryna Ivashchanka's free throws, and they continued to edge clear as Nadzeya Bohdan's lay-up made it 41-28 at half-time.

When Bohdan ended the next quarter in similar fashion, they were up by 20 - 55-35 - and the game was up for Romania.

Bohdan - returning from the facial injury suffered last week - led Belarus with 16 points, while Ivashchanka and Aliaksandra Mustava had 13 each.

Gabriela Cursaru led Romania with 13 points while Sonia Ursu added 10.

Earlier, Slovakia prevailed 55-46 against Germany as they took a big first-quarter lead and never gave it up, despite a fourth quarter rally from the Germans.

Slovakia led 16-3 on Sabina Oroszova's jump-shot with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

A mini-spurt saw Germany close to within four points, 34-30, after a pair of free-throws from Sonja Greinacher midway through the third quarter, and they would get within two points, 48-46 on another Greinacher free throw with only two minutes left.

But Slovakia finished on a 7-0 run to take the win.

Barbora Balintova led Slovakia with 12 points while Germany wasted 21 points and 11 rebounds from Greinacher.