U16 WOMEN

Serbia look likely to retain their Division A status at the U16 level of the European Championship for Women after reaching the half-way stage of the relegation round in Cagliari unbeaten.

Sanja Mandic provided another inspirational performance, scoring 34 points as the young Serbs defeated Finland 66-56 to move to 3-0 in the standings on Thursday.

A win over Poland on Friday would be enough to secure their place in the top division in 2012 but their three rivals go into the weekend with much more work to do.

Croatia claimed a 2-1 record - and an advantage in the race for the second and final spot in Division A - with a thrilling 72-69 victory over Poland.

And they surged from 15 points behind in the fourth quarter to pull off an astonishing escape, closing with a 7-2 run to stun the Poles.

Finland, bottom of the table with three defeats, will be relegated if they lose to Croatia on Friday.