Malta defeat San Marino 96-65 in first game of European Championship for Small Countries

Malta ran out 95-65 winners over San Marino in the opening game of the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries at the National Basketball Arena. The Maltese side took the lead early in the first period and never looked back.

Dominant performances from both Falzon brothers, Aaron and Tevin, proved too much for San Marino. They made heavy contributions offensively Aaron with 32 points, while Tevin had 20 and led the game in rebounds with 10. Kurt Cassar stood out with 16 points. Despite leading 31-14 at the end of the first quarter, the second saw Malta give away eight turnovers, and a resurgent San Marino had cut the lead to 10 by half-time.

The third quarter saw Malta begin to pull away again, and the domination continued through the final quarter. Despite the 30 point deficit by the end of the game, San Marino captain Davide Macina put in a commanding performance and bagged himself 17 points in the process.

Malta play tournament lowest seeds Gibraltar tomorrow, while next up for San Marino is Andorra.

Quarter score

Q1: 31-41

Q2: 21-28

Q3: 33-16

Q4: 11-7

Malta: Jack Zammit (8), David Bugeja (11), Alec Felice Pace (1), Peter Shoults (1), Matthew Scerri, Nathan Xuereb, Tevin Falzon (20), Ian Felice Pace, Aaron Falzon (32), Kurt-Joseph Xuereb (5), Kurt Cassar (16), Phillip Engelbert (2)

San Marino: Ygor Biordi (3), Francesco Palmieri (5), Federico Bombini, Davide Macina (17), Giacomo Pasolini (16), Alessandro Edoardo Renzi, Gioele Moretti (12), Lorenzo Liberti (2), Tommaso Felici (4), Lorenzo Lettoli, Marko Micevic (6