Moldova Overcome Gibraltar in Tight Contest at FIBA U16 EuroBasket Division C

Moldova claimed a 62–52 victory over Gibraltar in the Classification Group 5–9 at the FIBA U16 European Championship Division C in Shkoder, Albania on Friday, July 11. The match, held at the Qazim Dervishi arena, saw Moldova maintain control across the opening three quarters before withstanding a late surge from Gibraltar.

Moldova edged ahead in the first quarter 18–13 and repeated the same five-point margin in the second, going into halftime with a 37–26 lead. Gibraltar’s scoring slowed in the third period, where they managed just eight points compared to Moldova’s 13. Despite a strong final-quarter response from Gibraltar, who outscored their opponents 18–12, Moldova had done enough to secure the 10-point win.

The Moldovan side was led in efficiency by Grigore Sevcenco, who posted a game-leading efficiency rating of 18. Gibraltar’s top performer was Benjamin Lejeune, who scored 16 points.

Team shooting percentages were closely matched. Moldova recorded a 32% field goal percentage, just ahead of Gibraltar’s 31%. Moldova hit 37% of their two-point attempts and 19.1% from beyond the arc. Gibraltar fared slightly better from three-point range, shooting 24%, and converted 43.5% of their free throws compared to Moldova’s 55.6%.

Rebounding proved to be a key difference. Moldova dominated the boards with a total of 60 rebounds to Gibraltar’s 41, including 26 offensive rebounds compared to Gibraltar’s 14. Moldova also led in assists (18 to 10) and steals (19 to 15). Both teams recorded two blocks and were evenly matched in personal fouls, each committing 18.

Turnovers were high on both sides, with Gibraltar giving up possession 27 times to Moldova’s 25. Moldova capitalized more effectively on these, scoring 21 points off turnovers compared to Gibraltar’s 14. Gibraltar, however, led in second chance points with 20, benefitting from their offensive rebounding efforts.

Moldova’s biggest lead in the game was 12 points. The contest featured just two lead changes, with Moldova leading for the majority of the match—clocking 37 minutes and 18 seconds ahead on the scoreboard.

The match was officiated by referees Julien Malane (LUX), Ruslan Khaligov (AZE), and Hasan Bajgoric (BIH), with Dražen Štrok serving as Commissioner.