ANDORRA LA VELLA (Andorra) – Tournament hosts Andorra claimed the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries 2024 title after their 84-79 victory over Malta in Sunday’s Final.
Andorra deserved their record-breaking sixth triumph with Bruno Bartolome’s stellar shooting performance leading. The 25-year-old guard made it rain with 7-of-13 from beyond the arc for 24 points as Sergi Serrato added 22.
It was a close game throughout, as neither team had a lead bigger than six points in the first 30 minutes. Malta led 39-35 at the halftime break and retained the lead entering the fourth quarter.
Andorra then took the driving wheel and scored 11 unanswered points at the start of the last period to gain the biggest lead of the game at 64-56. Malta then responded with a 7-0 run which brought back a close game – making it a one-point game with 57 seconds to play.
The decisive play of the game was Serrato’s layup attempt on which he was fouled with Malta’s goaltending. It was a push Andorra needed to close out the game and win it all for the first time since 2014.
It’s the sixth title and 11th medal for Andorra in total, while Malta had to settle for their third runners-up finish.
Earlier, San Marino beat Gibraltar 73-70 in another close game to win this edition’s bronze. They were led by Tomaso Felici’s 19-point, 11-rebound double-double performance.
FIBA