ALYTUS & KLAIPEDA (Lithuania) - France won their sixth FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket title by overcoming first-time finalists Israel in the basketball hotbed of Klaipeda.
Elsewhere, Spain scooped third spot and a place on the podium by overpowering Belgium and down at the bottom, Serbia will join Sweden and Slovenia as the three relegated teams that will drop into next year's Division B tournament.
Key Storylines
France win FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket title;
Spain lock a spot on the podium, beating Belgium in the Third Place game;
Serbia relegated to Division B, joining Sweden and Slovenia.
France put on a Finals masterclass and power past Israel
France started hot and never cooled down as they defeated Israel 79-66 to capture the FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket title.
The French took an early 28-16 advantage after the first quarter and didn't let Israel back into the game, as their lead ballooned to as many as 23 points, effectively ending Israel's fairy tale run to the Final.
Sarah Cisse put on a performance for the ages as she had 15 points and a monster 23 rebounds to guide France to victory.
Gal Raviv led Israel - as she has done throughout her team's incredible run - with 29 points.
Team-oriented showing gives Spain third, as they beat Belgium
A superb team performance from Spain saw them clinch a spot on the podium, as they ousted Belgium 81-59 in the Third Place game.
Last year's winners took advantage of Belgium's subpar perimeter defense in the first half, as Spain opened up an eight-point lead. Despite a strong start to the third quarter from the Belgians, they succumbed to the solid offensive play of their counterparts as the Spanish lead continued to grow.
Ines Sotelo paced Spain with 21 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point land. Noor Devos and Ella Declercq each scored 12 points for Belgium.
Top Performers
It was a consolation victory for Sweden as they avoided last place at this year’s tournament with a resounding 73-47 win over Slovenia, but, like the Slovenians, they will drop into Division B next summer. Lourdes Da Silva Costa led the way for the Swedes with 14 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the final-day victory.
Who else but Sarah Cisse to lead France's quest to the title. She posted 15 points, a monster 23 rebounds and 1 block in France's 79-66 triumph over a stubborn Israel side in the Final.
Maria Burliga was Poland’s savior as she hit the clutch free throw with a second left that gave her side a 65-64 success over the hosts Lithuania to finish fifth. Burliga would finish with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in a monster display.
Croatia’s Petra Bozan signed off from this year’s FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket with seven double-doubles in seven games, her latest being a 22-point, 12-rebound effort against Türkiye. However, her effort couldn’t prevent a narrow 85-80 loss as Croatia had to settle for eighth spot. (25)
Serbia were relegated to next summer’s Division B tournament, with a narrow 64-60 loss to Italy. Lana Maric carried the Serbs as far as she could, going for 13 points, 16 rebounds and 4 steals, but it wasn’t enough.
Results of the Day
Final
France 79-66 Israel
Third Place Game
Spain 81-59 Belgium
Classification 5-6
Lithuania 64-65 Poland
Classification 7-8
Türkiye 85-80 Croatia
Classification 9-10
Germany 57-60 Hungary
Classification 11-12
Iceland 80-85 Latvia
Classification 13-14
Serbia 60-64 Italy
Classification 15-16
Sweden 73-47 Slovenia
FIBA