Malta basketball girls crush Armenia to reach gold medal final Championship for Small States

The Malta women’s basketball national team emulated their male counterparts as they crushed Armenia 107-52 to reach the final of the FIBA Europe Championship for Small States.

As the scoreline clearly shows, the Maltese girls were simply on another level than their opponents on the day to secure a crushing victory and set up a showdown with Albania in Sunday’s final.

Malta seized control from the opening tip, building a commanding lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

There was no lead change or decisive momentum shift in this game.

Malta set the tone with a dominant 32-6 opening quarter, immediately establishing a gap that only widened as the game progressed. The early surge put the result beyond doubt, and Armenia never threatened to close the deficit.

Amber Constance Melgoza put on a show for Malta, finishing with 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in just under 30 minutes of action.

She posted an efficiency rating of 39 and a staggering +49 plus/minus.

Melgoza’s impact was immediate, highlighted by two explosive scoring bursts: she knocked down 9 points in a span of 2:22 early in the first quarter, then poured in another 9 points over 2:45 in the second, fueling Malta’s runaway lead.

Danika Galea reinforced Malta’s advantage inside, contributing 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Josephine Diaby provided a spark off the bench with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in under 17 minutes.   

Malta will hope they can complete an impressive week with victory against Albania on Sunday after the latter stunned hosts Kosovo 66-62 in the other semi-final.