U16 WOMEN

Belgium booked a spot in the quarter-finals of the U16 European Championship for Women, ending Russia's unbeaten record in the competition with a 51-36 victory in Cagliari.

If Arvid Diels wanted his team to make a statement of intent, he succeeded.

And Hind Ben Abdelkader grabbed a game-high 24 points to spearhead a convincing display.

The Belgians led from start to finish, pulling away with a 7-0 run midway through the first half before ten unanswered points saw the Russians - who are already into the last eight - close to trail 21-18 early in the third quarter.

But an 11-2 burst proved decisive as Russia - who shot just 17.9% - failed to respond.