Israel U20 Women Take Historic EuroBasket Silver After 79-66 Final Loss

Israel’s under-20 women’s basketball team won the first medal in Israeli women’s basketball history Sunday night, taking silver after France won the EuroBasket final 79-66 in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Israel fell behind 18-0, cut the gap to five in the second quarter and later reduced a 23-point deficit to 10, but France stopped the comeback. Gal Raviv led Israel with 29 points, eight rebounds and three assists; Ayala Oren added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Coach Tal Natan’s team closed a landmark run that included knockout wins over Poland and Belgium and Israel’s first appearance in the tournament final.