U16 WOMEN

Sweden took sole possession of top spot in Group E of the U16 European Championship for Women, defeating Greece 76-60 on Tuesday in Cagliari.

Gabby Hanson had 17 of her 22 points in the first half as the Swedes capitalised on a terrific start to leave Greece in a battle to survive in the competition.

An opening 6-0 run proved a foretaste of what was to come as Sweden moved 20-8 ahead the opening quarter. And with Hanson as the catalyst, the gap grew to 45-25 by half-time.

Sweden grabbed the first 4 points of the third period as the deficit increased to as much as 24.

And although Greece - paced by 18 from Eleni Kyratzi- produced a late 9-0 run to lessen the gap, they need to beat the Slovakia on Wednesday to guarantee themselves a place in the quarter-finals.