Luxembourg 54
Malta 49
(17-13, 8-15, 13-13, 16-8)
Malta’s chances of a high placing in the women’s basketball tournament were dashed yester-day when Angela Adamoli’s team were beaten for a second time, on this occasion to hosts Luxem-bourg 54-49.
Malta, beaten 77-59 by Iceland on Wednesday, matched their opponents for most of the encounter despite the strong support from the home crowd.
At half-time, a spirited Malta led 28-25 and they held on to their advantage before the last quarter got underway.
However, Luxembourg, who beat Cyprus in their opening match, upped their game significantly in the last 10-minute session to open a slim advantage which they never relinquished for a laboured victory at the Arena D’Coque.
Malta will not be in action today. They will be back on court tomorrow with their remaining match against Cyprus, an encounter that could be decisive for the bronze medal.
Malta’s points
S. Pace 4, B. Zammit 3, A. Vella 13, S. Demartino 13, S. Brincat 3, B. Thomas 8, J. Grima 5.