LAUSANNE (Switzerland) - Israel could not have imagined a better start to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 as they collected a victory in their first-ever game in the history of the competition.
In a battle of nations playing at the FIBA U19 World Cup for the first time, Israel defeated host nation Switzerland 77-102 in their opener in Group C. Omer Mayer poured in 24 points and Ariel Sela collected 16 points and 12 rebounds for the winners.
The game was close throughout and Israel were ahead 23-22 after 10 minutes. There were already 13 lead changes in the first 14 minutes of the game before Israel had a big surge at the end of the first half and led 50-39 at the break.
Switzerland tried to get back into the game, spurred on by the vocal crowd as the Lausanne Arena, but Israel did not let the hosts threaten the rest of the way.
"It feels great to get a win like this. Everybody was involved, especially in the second half," Mayer said after the game.
"Maybe we made history on paper - statistically this is our first win - but we dont care. We just want more."
Israel will look to make it 2-0 in the group on Day 2 when they take on Jordan while Switzerland will be facing Dominican Republic.
FIBA