Unstoppable Torrens puts on a show to take Spain into the Final

LJUBLJANA (Slovenia) - Alba Torrens showed her class with a stunning 27-point display to take Spain past Hungary 69-60 in the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 Semi-Finals in Ljubljana.

Handing Spain their fourth Final appearance in the last six editions, the winger showed what her country had missed when she was sidelined in 2021. Playing in their first Semi-Final since 1997, Hungary had trailed by as many as 16 points in the contest but set up a nail-biting finale by launch and rescue bid which Spain eventually resisted. 

Turning point: At 60-55 and with the outcome hanging in the balance, Torrens stepped back and hit a jump-shot with 90 seconds remaining on the clock to make it a three-possession game. It was the score that effectively snapped the impressive resilience of Hungary.

TCL Player of the Game: This was all about Alba. She was incredible from the get-go and sunk 5 of 7 from downtown on her way to that 27-point haul.  That was the most triples ever by a player in a Semi-Final and also the most Torrens had hit in a Spain jersey. She also added 4 assists and 3 boards for good measure.

Stats Don't Lie: Hungary chose the wrong day to spill the ball more times than they have ever done in FIBA Women's EuroBasket history. They committed 24 turnovers. 

Bottom line: This was a real statement of intent from both Torrens and Spain. Written off in some quarters after that opening day loss to Latvia, they are now one win away from being crowned FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 champions. Their defensive pressure and intensity gave them a platform as usual, with Torrens adding that big dose of brilliance a team needs en-route to possible gold.

Hungary showed incredible heart to come back from 16 points behind and really push Spain hard - especially as they could not utilize Bernadett Hatar who got injured at the start of the second quarter. They will be kicking themselves at how many times they turned it over of course. Still, with a bronze medal to play for on Sunday, they could yet finish this tournament on a massive high. 

They Said:  "The first thing is that we are very happy to be here tonight in this position. The second thing is that I know what brought us here is the team. I know what brought us this victory and that is the team and I know that we will be here always as a team. I don't see any other way. I am so thankful and proud to be part of this team. It is not about who made the points, it is about our character. When the game got tough, we were all there." Spanish winger, Alba Torrens 

"They played well and started the game really hard. I felt like we were running after them. I am so proud of my team because we could come back, but we didn't have the extra baskets we needed. Alba Torrens played excellent and it was really hard to guard her. They deserved this victory." Hungary guard, Agnes Studer.

FIBA