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Israeli women’s under-20 wins historic basketball medal in Europe

The Israeli national team lost to France 66:79 in the finals held in Lithuania, securing a silver medal.

The Israeli women’s under-20 basketball team won the silver medal of the FIBA EuroBasket tournament after losing to France’s national team in the finals. Credit: FIBA Women’s U20 EuroBasket website.
The Israeli women’s under-20 basketball team won the silver medal of the FIBA EuroBasket tournament after losing to France’s national team in the finals. Credit: FIBA Women’s U20 EuroBasket website.

The Israeli women’s under-20 basketball team on Sunday ended its historic campaign in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament with a silver medal, after losing in the finals 66:79 to France.

It was the first medal that an Israeli national women’s team has ever won.

The team, led by manager Tal Natan, reached the finals in Lithuania after defeating Belgium 78:69 on Saturday.

The match against France got off to a rough start, with the Israeli athletes unable to score for more than six minutes, outlet Walla News reported. However, they managed to close the 18:0 score gap to only five points during the second quarter.

And despite a six-minute dry spell for the French team in the fourth quarter, it kept its lead until the final whistle.

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