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BRATISLAVA (FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) - Spain pulled clear of Argentina with a late spurt to claim a 67-54 win in their opening match of the FIBA U19 World Championships for Women.

Laura Nicholls was instrumental in the win for the Spanish with an incredible 24 boards to add to her seven points.

Top scoring honours went to Alba Torrens who poured in 24 points while Tamara Abalde chipped in with 13.

Torrens was only two from seven from close range but drained four in seven attempts from downtown. She made eight from 10 from the charity stripe.

Outstanding in defeat for Argentina was Stephany Thomas who poured in 21 points as well as hauling down three boards.

The only other Argentina player to make a real impact was Sofia Castillo, who had five rebounds in addition to a 12-point haul.

Spain ended the third quarter with a 42-41 lead. A Thomas three-pointer at the start of the fourth put Argentina ahead.

Nicholls put Spain back ahead at 45-44 after making two free throws but Thomas immediately drained a bucket to make it 46-44 to the Latin Americans.

There were still seven minutes and 21 seconds to play but Spain rallied strongly with Gabriela Ocete’s three-pointer giving them a lead they would not surrender.

Tom Ross
FIBA