In a small 1,750-seat arena in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, USF guard Laia Flores and forward Laura Ferreira found themselves facing off against each other as Spain and Portugal met in the final pool game of the European Under 20 Women’s Basketball Championship. Undefeated Spain was riding high knowing they did not need to win this game; Portugal was fighting for survival after going 2-2 in the first four games of pool play.
USF’s Laia Flores had played about one half of each game for Spain, averaging about five points each time. Her best game had been against Hungary, in which she drained a three-pointer to put Spain up by ten in the first quarter and later hit four free throws to end up with seven points, two steals, two assists and a rebound.