ESP - Vindication for Lyttle, Spain

ORCHIES (EuroBasket Women/FIBA World Championship for Women) - When Sancho Lyttle donned the Spanish shirt in international competition for the first time a few years ago at the FIBA World Championship for Women in the Czech Republic, she put on some jaw-dropping displays.

Fans of the Spanish game had already seen what Lyttle could do in the Liga Femenina.

At the 2010 event, Lyttle averaged 18.4 points and 11.5 rebounds and helped her adopted country reach the podium for the first time with a Bronze Medal Game triumph over Belarus.

One year later, with expectations soaring at the EuroBasket Women in Poland, Lyttle and Spain struggled and fell short of the Quarter-Finals.

That caused the team to miss out on the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women.

On Sunday night, the Spaniards enjoyed the sweet taste of vindication with a 70-69 triumph over host France in the Gold Medal Game of the EuroBasket Women in Orchies.

Spain captured the European title for the first time since 1993, when they won in Italy.

"It's great," Lyttle said to FIBA.com.

"I think this is justification for two years ago when we went out too early.

"I'm lost for words."

Lyttle was spectacular at the event in France, where Spain won all nine of their games.

She averaged tournament highs in points (18.4), rebounds (11.1) and steals (2.9).

Lyttle had not experienced the disappointment of 2007 when Spain reached the Final of the EuroBasket Women in Italy and lost a close game to powerhouse Russia.

Yet the feeling of capturing gold, and then being named Most Valuable Player of the event in France, was nevertheless very special.

"When you’re not a part of a country, born in a country and adopted by a country for any specific reason and then you represent the country in front of players who are retiring (Amaya Valdemoro and Elisa Aguilar), in front of the (Spanish Basketball Federation) President (Jose Luis Saez) who came to watch and stuff like that, to win gold and then as a person in that team to win MVP, it feels amazing," she said.

"I would never have dreamed of this if Spain had not adopted me to play basketball for them.

"I have to thank God after two difficult years and I have finally started being happy again and this is just icing on the cake for this year, so hopefully it will continue in the WNBA (with the Atlanta Dream)."

Lyttle knows there is a fine line between success and failure and doesn’t want to make any predictions when it comes to Spain’s medal prospects at the 2014 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

She still feels the sting of two years ago in Poland, when she watched a opportunity to compete at the Olympics for the first time slip through her fingers.

"You have to go year by year," Lyttle said.

"People come in, go out.

"You never know what can happen.

"Last year (in the Qualification Round), Alba (Torrens) was out with an injury (torn ACL) and we never expected that.

"This year, we had a whole team and we won.

"Next year, we just have to hope for a whole team, hope for more post players so I can get some rest. You have to take it one year at a time.”

FIBA