BUDAPEST (EuroBasket Women 2015) - Having never previously finished on the EuroBasket Women podium, Serbia are now the EuroBasket Women champions after taking a historical 76-68 triumph against France in front of over 5,000 fans in Budapest.

Turning Point: Having seen an eight-point lead almost eradicated by France with just over three minutes remaining, Ana Dabovic scored from a beautiful baseline inbound play and then quickly followed it with a sensational move to the basket. Those successive scores erased the nerves and really laid the foundation for Serbia to hold their nerve as Danielle Page effectively iced the game with 90 seconds left on the game clock as she sweetly dropped a baseline jump shot.

Stats Don't Lie: For all the talk about the strength of the France frontcourt, Serbia stood toe-to-toe with their opponents and even outscored them 30-28 in the paint which was pivotal.

Game Heroes: Ana Dabovic and Sonja Petrovic carried Serbia to their golden moment and were continual thorns in the side of Les Bleues. Dabovic again held the hot-hand and scored a game-high 25 points, while Petrovic was similarly clinical with 22 points and seven boards. Page also justified herself as a wise naturalised pick with plenty of hard work and also a smart 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Bottom Line: Serbia are on an incredible upward curve and defied the critics who didn't think their style could prevail. However, as well as their shooting prowess, they added a real steel and tenacious side to ensure they had a three-dimensional game. This is an astonishing moment for women's basketball in Serbia and while everyone contributed the late return of Petrovic after her six-year sabbatical was the key. France had to be content with silver again and perhaps describing the semi-final win over Spain as being like a final was part of the issue. However, reaching yet another major final is a great accomplishment and they found some emerging players in the likes of Olivia Epoupa who will help carry the torch forwards.

Go to EuroBasketWomen2015.com for full coverage of EuroBasket Women 2015.

FIBA