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Serbia power forward Nikola Jankovic had 17 points on 73 percent shooting from the floor and added eight rebounds

By Jared Grellet 

Serbia have opened the Samsung U18 European Championship with a straightforward 75-54 victory over Ukraine.

Restricting the Ukrainians to eight points in the first quarter, Serbia went on to open up a comfortable 13-point buffer by the end of the frame.

As the game unfolded, the early lead never looked to come under threat.

Key to Serbia's win was the hustling they showed inside the paint, out-rebounding their opponents 48-30.

Having already amassed 14 points in the opening half, Nikola Radicevic went on to finish the game with 18 points and five steals.

Teammate Nikola Jankovic contributed 17 points and eight rebounds.

Ukraine's biggest contribution came from Yevgen Sakhniuk, with the power forward scoring 12 points.

On Friday, Ukraine will go looking for their first win when they take on Spain whilst Serbia complete day two action when they do battle with Germany.