VALETTA (FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship 2017, Division C) - Armenia continued to pick up steam at the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship 2017, Division C, with the still-undefeated pacemakers Cyprus taking a break from action on Thursday.

It was Inga Manucharyan’s turn to shine for Armenia, who inscribed their second win in a row after an opening-day defeat, blowing away Gibraltar with a one-sided 72-45 scoreline that perfectly summed up the contest.

After opening up a 16-point gap already in the first quarter of play, the Armenian girls were in cruise control mode for the rest of the game, with Gibraltar never threatening to make it close.

Armenia have been unstoppable since losing the opening game against Cyprus

Manucharyan scored 29 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and registered 3 steals, while her teammate Anna Aslanian chipped in with an equally impressive contribution of 17 points, 23 rebounds and 3 assists.

Only four players got on the scoreboard for Gibraltar, with Marta Perez Castro leading the way with 21 points and 7 boards. Mireya Benitez Lopez had 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Amy Pozo and Anabella De La Chica accounted for the remaining 8 points.

Meanwhile, tournament hosts Malta stayed in a solid position to challenge for top spots after also improving to a 2-1 record with a clutch 38-37 victory against Kosovo in a closely-contested game that went down to the wire.

Defense was the name of the game as Malta halted Kosovo

It was the visitors who enjoyed a slight edge in the first half of play, taking a 21-17 lead into the halftime break. However, Malta turned things around in the third period and got their noses in front with a 15-9 run, finishing things off in a low-scoring final frame.

Sophie Abela made an impact for the home side on both ends of the floor with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals and 3 blocks, while Jaelle Micallef added 12 points and 5 boards in a victorious performance.

On the other end, Florentina Karavidaj double-doubled with 12 points and 14 rebounds for Kosovo, with Besjana Martinaj adding 13 points and 8 rebounds, but their team dropped to 0-2 in the standings.

FIBA