(MENAFN– AzerNews)

The Azerbaijani basketball team played in the first group match
of Division C of the European Under-18 Championship in Elbasan,
Albania, Azernews reports.

The team’s first opponent in Group B was the Moldavian national
team. Anar Sariyev’s team, which started the game actively,
defeated their opponent with a score of 87-76.

National team member Rafael Aghayev (24 points, 12 rebounds) was
recognised as the most productive basketball player of the match.
Thanks to this victory, the national team reached the
semi-finals.

The last game of the Azerbaijani national team in the group will
take place on July 25 at 18:00 (Baku time) against the Armenian
national team.

Founded in 1992, the Azerbaijani Basketball Federation (ABF) has
played a major role in the development of basketball in the
country.

In 1994, the ABF became a full member of the International
Basketball Federation (FIBA), making it possible for national
basketball teams to join international competitions.

In 1995, Azerbaijan won an international basketball match held
in Baku.

In 2006, men’s basketball ranked first at the FIBA European
Development Cup in Albania.

Four years later, the national team became first at the Novruz
2010 International Basketball Tournament.

Azerbaijani basketball players also grabbed two medals at the
5th Islamic Solidarity Games.

The team won one gold and one silver medal for Azerbaijan.

Basketball in Azerbaijan will continue to grow and improve,
attracting more sports fans.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr