CHALKIDA (FIBA U20 European Championship 2016 Division B) - Iceland turned a 16-point first half deficit into a 71-65 over Russia, in their first appearance at an U20 European Championship since 2011. All it took was a couple of record-breaking performances.

Russia led 25-9 after the first period, but Iceland found their stroke in the remaining three quarters, scoring at least 20 points in each of them. Iceland dominated the paint, winning the rebounding battle 56-36 and scoring 42 points in the paint, compared to 18 for Russia. Iceland led for just three minutes, but that was enough for a win, their first in a return to competition after a five-year break.

Jon Axel Gudmundsson scored a Championship-high 32 points, to go with his 11 rebounds and five steals as he claimed the game-hero honour. Tryggvi Hlinason is also in the record books, as he gathered 13 offensive rebounds against Russia. Hlinason finished with 11 points and 19 rebounds. Vladislav Staratelev scored 20 points for Russia.

Both Iceland and Russia stand at 1-1 in Group B, while only Greece, Croatia, Montenegro and Great Britain enjoy a 2-0 record after the first two days of competition.

Montenegro defeated The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 67-44 in Group A. Aleksa Ilic flirted with a triple-double, as he finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks, Zoran Nikolic had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the victors.

Another neighbourly encounter featured Great Britain and Ireland. Kyle Carey connected on three three-pointers in a 66-56 win for the British team, which held Ireland to just 28% from the field. Croatia was on fire again, beating Bulgaria 81-47 in another dominant display. Mladen Vujicevic needed just 18 minutes to score 16 points for the red-and-whites.

Greece are in cruise control in Group C. Defence was key for the hosts in a 68-36 win, Vasileios Charalampopoulos finished with 16 points and five assists, both game-highs. Kosovo won the battle with Albania 62-55 in the same group.

Portugal kicked off their tournament with a 70-54 win over Armenia in Group A, and all 12 players scored in Poland's 80-51 triumph against Belarus. Balanced offence was crucial for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as they had six players in double figures in a 97-51 win over Slovak Republic. Haris Curevac led the way with 14 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland joined Portugal on a 1-0 record.

FIBA