Israel continue fairytale run, France eliminate hosts to reach Final

HERAKLION (Greece) - Israel have reached the Final of the FIBA U20 European Championship for the fourth time in the last five editions and will face France in Sunday's title game.

Israel had a strong showing in the first Semi-Final, taking down Belgium 67-46. Four players combined for 48 of the team's 67 total points, led by Daniel Wolf's big double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds and Noam Yaacov's 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Despite only connecting on 3-of-25 three-pointers, Israel found success with 50 points in the paint and shot 55.6 percent from two-point range.

In the second Semi-Final, France dominated tournament hosts Greece, running away for a 98-51 win. After having a 13-12 lead in the first quarter, France raced out ahead with a 38-11 run to end the first half.

Their bench outscored Greece's 45-12, as all 12 players got into the scoring column for the victors, as Ugo Doumbia led the way with a well-rounded stat line of 8 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Maxime Raynaud led France in scoring with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

Meanwhile, in the relegation bracket, Estonia's loss to Croatia means they will drop down to Division B for next year's event. They will be joined by the loser of the game on Sunday between Montenegro and Croatia.

Top Performers

Daniel Wolf paced Israel to get them to Sunday's Final with his 17 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a gameday high 29 efficiency.

Davide Casarin led Italy in their 12-point victory today with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

Duje Brala was instrumental in Croatia defeating Estonia, as he finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in only 20 minutes.

Despite the loss, Iceland's Almar Atlason turned in his best game of the tournament with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, knocking down 6-of-13 three-pointers.

Finally, Ugo Doumbia rounded out the top performers of the day with his solid overall stat line of 8 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, helping France to reach the Final.

Results of the Day

Semi-Finals

Belgium 46-67 Israel
Greece 51-98 France

Classification Games 5-8

Turkey 55-76 Serbia
Lithuania 58-60 Germany

Classification Games 9-12

Iceland 86-98 Italy
Slovenia 72-75 Spain

Classification Games 13-16

Montenegro 64-61 Poland
Estonia 70-98 Croatia

FIBA