Serbia used a furious fourth quarter comeback to beat Croatia 76-62 in the U18 European Championship for Women.

The defending champions trailed 51-46 at the start of the final period but proceeded to outscore their opponents 30-11 in that frame alone.

Nevena and Tina Jovanovic combined for 36 points and Sara Krnijc had 18 and 13 rebounds as Serbia overcame a dreadful start and several double digit deficits to score an improbable win.

After scoring the first six points of the game, Serbia fell into a shooting slump and trailed 23-11 by the end of that period as Croatia reeled off an incredible 15 unanswered points at one stage thanks in part to Tomica Babic's three-point barrage.

Serbia though fought back in the second quarter, with Nevena Jovanovic going on a personal 8-0 run that helped her side come within one, 30-29 with three minutes left in the first half.

However, it looked as though the reigning champions would start this tournament with a loss as they fell behind by 11 midway through the third quarter.

But, as champions do, they kept their poise and tightened their defense to make their way back into the game.

After Krnijc tied the game at 55 a piece with just under eight minutes left in the game, it was all one-way traffic, with Croatia scoring just seven points to Serbia's 21.

Bacic had 23 points and four assists for Croatia.