CELJE (2015 U18 European Championship Women) - Czech Republic and Russia joined hosts Slovenia in confirming their places in the Quarter-Finals at the U18 European Championship Women after an entertaining Day 5 in Celje.

Czech Republic were the first team from Group F to secure a Quarter-Final spot, dominating Belgium in a 62-53 win. Julia Reisingerova was the chief destroyer, scoring 24 points and adding 10 rebounds.

Hosts Slovenia joined them in securing qualification with an emphatic 73-54 win over Netherlands, holding their opponents without a field goal in the second quarter to surge clear. Annamaria Prezelj top-scored with 15 points.

Croatia held off a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Hungary 56-52, boosting their own hopes of reaching the Quarter-Finals and eliminating their opponents. Ivana Dojkic had a stellar performance in victory, notching 27 points and 13 rebounds.

Spain and France remained unbeaten at the top of Group E, but Spain did it the hard way again, notching their third overtime win in five matches with a 68-67 win over Italy. Angela Salvadores had a game-high 31 points and made the crucial free-throws in overtime as Francesca Pan's last efforts for Italy fell short.

France used their strong defence to pull away from Russia down the stretch, taking a 56-48 win led by 23 points from Lisa Berkani. The unbeaten pair will meet on Wednesday to decide the top seed in Group E, while Russia are guaranteed to finish third.

Portugal kept their Quarter-Final hopes alive with a 63-43 win over Israel, eliminating their opponents. Maria Kostourkova had 15 points and 16 boards for Portugal, who will face Italy on Wednesday in a decider for fourth place in Group E.

Lithuania and Poland grabbed their second wins in a row in Classification Group G, leaving Serbia and Estonia still searching for their first tournament victories. Lithuania withstood Serbia's fourth-quarter comeback to take a 70-66 victory, led by 16 points from Agne Bobinaite. Poland cruised past Estonia 75-39, Zuzanna Puc top-scoring with 14 points.

Go to http://u18women.fibaeurope.com/en/default.asp for complete coverage of the 2015 U18 European Championship Women.

FIBA