July 25, 2004

Bretagne, France – South Carolina women’s basketball players Iva Sliskovic and Lea Fabbri teamed to lift Croatia to an 81-73 win over Belgium in first round action at the FIBA European Championships for Under-20 Women on Sunday. Gamecock signee Ilona Burgrova was also in action at the tournament, as her Czech Republic squad was upset by Hungary, 66-57.

Sliskovic again led the Croatian team, scoring 16 points and hauling in seven rebounds. She added a blocked shot and a steal as well. For the second consecutive game, Fabbri played all 40 minutes in the backcourt, scoring 10 points and dishing out a game-high six assists.

Burgrova scored nine points and brought in eight rebounds in defeat for the Czech Republic, as she had difficulty with Belgium’s defense inside, converting on only 4-of-11 shots from the field.

The Czechs’ loss, coupled with the Croatians’ win, moved the two teams into a four-way tie for first place in their group at 2-1 with Poland and Hungary. All teams still have two games yet to play in the first round, with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals. The Czech Republic faces Belgium (1-2) on Tuesday before locking horns with Poland (2-1) on Wednesday. Croatia can control its own destiny if it can knock off Poland Tuesday and concludes preliminary round action with Spain (0-3) on Wednesday.