Despite a 79-66 loss to France in the FIBA Under-20 European Championship final, Israel capped off a remarkable tournament with a historic silver medal as Gal Raviv, who was named to the tournament’s First Team, led the way with 29 points.
The remarkable journey of Israel’s U20 team came to an end on Sunday as the team claimed the silver medal after falling to the newly crowned European champion, France. Israel trailed throughout the game and could not match the French side, which opened the final with an 18-0 run and never relinquished its lead despite several Israeli comeback attempts.
Another outstanding performance from Raviv wasn’t enough for Tal Natan’s squad, which completed a historic tournament by recording the greatest achievement in Israeli women’s basketball history: a runner-up finish at the U20 European Championship. Raviv led the way with 29 points, Ayala Oren added 16 points, while Maya Zilbershlag scored 12 points for Israel.
Israel head coach Tal Natan reflected after the contest.
“Right now we’re hurting. We didn’t start the game well, and we struggled to create good scoring opportunities. But our players competed with tremendous pride and heart, with Gal Raviv leading the way. What Raviv accomplished here is one for the history books. I have tremendous appreciation for her, and she made all of us better. I wish her the greatest success in the world, and I hope she continues to bring pride to Israeli basketball.”
Raviv shared her thoughts following the title game.
“It’s disappointing to lose, and we wanted it to end differently, but we have every reason to be proud, finishing as the second-best team in Europe. This is the result of hard work, and I’m happy I was able to show what I’m capable of, but I couldn’t have done it without this incredible team.
‘I’m just so proud of them’
“I’m just so proud of them, and I have memories that will stay with me for a lifetime. We became so close, and I believe we’ll meet again on the senior national team and continue to bring pride to Israel. Personally, my dream is to make it to the WNBA, become an impactful player there, compete in the EuroLeague, and represent Israel with pride.”
France opened the game with a barrage of 3-pointers, racing out to an 18-0 lead as Israel struggled to find its rhythm. However, Raviv, along with Maya Zilbershlag and Neta Meyshar, added triples of their own to cut the deficit to single digits. The French squad, though, ended the opening quarter ahead 28-16.
Ayala Oren helps cut the gap
Israel tightened its defense at the start of the second quarter and repeatedly attacked the paint on offense, drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. Ayala Oren helped cut the gap, but France center Sarah Cisse dominated the paint during that stretch to give her side a 44-31 advantage at halftime.
France continued to control the momentum in the third quarter, as Israel had no answer for the French offense. While the lead grew to as many as 23 points, Raviv knocked down two late 3-pointers to make it 68-49 heading into the final frame. Strong play from Maya Zilbershlag and Oren fueled a 9-0 Israeli run to open the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit, but a 3-pointer by Stella Colas halted the momentum as France secured the championship with the comfortable victory.
See more Israeli sports coverage at www.sportsrabbi.com/en
Source:
www.jpost.com
