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The second day of the 2025 IWBF U23 Men’s World Championship saw five games unfold across the two courts at the Centro de Treinamento Paralímpico Brasileiro, with teams continuing to find their rhythm in the group stages. Türkiye, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Great Britain each secured victories as early momentum begins to shape the standings.
In Group A, Türkiye made a powerful entrance to the tournament with a dominant 111–27 win over Israel. The pairing of Baran Oguz and Hasan Efeturk proved unstoppable, combining for 51 points. Efeturk finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 steals, while Oguz posted an all-around performance of 22 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals. Türkiye shot 57% from the field and applied consistent defensive pressure, holding Israel to just 26%. Ran Bareby led Israel with 8 points.
Germany also continued their strong form, defeating host nation Brazil 74–41 to remain unbeaten in Group A. Despite a few promising spells from the host nation, Germany controlled the interior, scoring 58 of their points in the paint. Jakob Kroemer was again central to their success, finishing with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Brazil’s João Nascimento delivered another standout performance with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to stop Germany from improving to 2–0 in the group.
In Group B, Italy pulled off a well-earned 64–39 win over USA, setting the tone with disciplined defence and a composed offensive display. Gabriel Da Silva Pelizari led Italy with 22 points, while Alessandro Sbuelz and Joel Joseph Boganelli added 13 and 11 points respectively. The USA struggled to find rhythm from the perimeter and were held in check for much of the game, with Andrew Buetel leading their scoring with 11 points.
Japan secured their first win of the tournament with a confident 73–31 victory over Thailand. With sharp ball movement and a fast-paced transition game, Japan controlled the tempo from start to finish. Shinsaku Iwata led the way with 17 points, and Daito Koyama ran the offence efficiently throughout. Thailand relied heavily on Amorntep Kongpakhaw, who scored a game-high 24 points, but they couldn’t match Japan’s team cohesion.
To close out the day, Great Britain put on another impressive display, defeating South Africa 100–17 to move to 2–0 in Group B. GB’s offence ran smoothly all game, shooting 56% from the field and never dipping below 51%. Jack Long led with 17 points, while Charlie McIntyre posted the tournament’s first triple-double: 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists. Khanya Xundu scored 11 for South Africa, who continued to show resilience despite a second straight defeat.
With two days complete, the competition is heating up as teams push toward the quarter-finals, and early contenders begin to emerge.
Photo Credits: X-1/IWBF #U23WBWC #IWBF #2025U23WBWC
