Andorra Men's Basketball Wins Silver at FIBA Small Countries Championship

Andorra's men's basketball team claimed silver at the FIBA Europe Small Countries Championship in Gibraltar, falling 76-90 to Malta in Sunday's final despite a competitive performance that belied the final scoreline.

The Andorran squad, coached by Cristian Vegas, had advanced to the title clash after a commanding 91-42 semifinal rout of host Gibraltar on Saturday. Gibraltar opened with a 5-12 run driven by Jamie McGrail's 17 points, but Leo López, Ignasi Armengol and Toi Gabriel responded to level the first quarter at 17-17. Andorra then surged in the second period with intensified defense and a rapid pace, posting a 34-9 run featuring contributions from Sergi Serrato to lead 51-26 at halftime. A 19-8 third-quarter burst further sealed the victory.

Ignasi Armengol topped the scorers with 14 points and 19 valuation credits, supported by Toi Gabriel's 13 points and six rebounds, Joan Aguilar's 12 points, and Leo López's 11 points with seven steals. The roster comprised Serrato, Aguilar, Alejandro Aranda, Ken Santiago, Gerard Lamelas, Izan Fernández, López, Álex Peral, Gabriel, Armengol, Mathias Mulard and Biel Gallego.

In the final at Gibraltar's Tercentenary Sports Hall, Andorra challenged pre-tournament favourite Malta, which had beaten them by 26 points in the group stage. The opening exchanges saw López and Gabriel set the tone, though Malta led 18-14 after early scoring from Sjoberg and interior dominance. Malta extended to an 11-point edge (28-17) in the second quarter, but Armengol erupted for 14 straight points—including four near-consecutive threes—in a 2-14 run to flip the lead. Serrato's buzzer-beating three from deep gave Andorra a 35-34 halftime advantage.

The third quarter peaked Andorra's momentum, with Serrato pushing to a 43-36 lead. Malta clawed back via Sjoberg's efforts despite fouls, entering the fourth at 54-53. There, Jordan Tucker (25 points, eight rebounds) and Sjoberg (23 points) took over, alongside Falzon's perimeter shooting, to pull away to 83-73 with under two minutes left. Serrato finished with 22 points, López 19 and Armengol 18.

The silver marked Andorra's fourth in the event and 11th medal overall—five golds, four silvers, two bronzes—with its last title in 2014, where Gabriel was the lone holdover. Vegas had previewed a tactical shift from the group-stage Gibraltar win, expecting a slower tempo that his team largely dictated.

Meanwhile, the women's C Division team in Peja, Kosovo, ended sixth after a 57-78 loss to Georgia in the fifth-place game. José Rodríguez's amateurs—Cristina Andrés, Laura Limones, Noah Micó, Carla Puig, Laura Laurent, Alèxia Rodríguez, Paula Collado, Tània Lorente, Abril López, Anna Berenguer, Ada Domene and Jana Herce—trailed 25-14 after a poor start but won the second quarter 17-15. Georgia sealed it with a 22-14 final period, led by Tamar Papuashvili's 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Micó scored 11 for Andorra, with Andrés adding four points, six rebounds and five assists. Rodríguez hailed their competitiveness against professionals.