Israel's U20 Women's Basketball Team Finishes Runner-Up at European Championship After Loss to France

The Israeli U20 women's basketball team played the European Championship final on Sunday against France, concluding with a 64-75 defeat. Coach Tal Natan started the game with Gal Raviv, Maayan Cohen, Maya Zilbershlag, Ayala Oren, and Mai Baiko. The match began poorly for Israel, who fell behind 0-17 early on. However, the team showed resilience, narrowing the gap to 30-24 before halftime, which ended 44-31 in favor of France. In the third quarter, France increased their lead, entering the final quarter ahead 68-49. Israel's team had a heroic run in the tournament, bouncing back from an opening loss to Spain with five consecutive wins to reach the final. Their semifinal victory over Belgium was particularly memorable, with Maayan Cohen scoring 26 points and hitting eight of Israel's 17 three-pointers. Despite their strong performance throughout the championship, Israel could not overcome the powerful French squad in the final.