Israel Women's Basketball Team Faces Tough Turkey in EuroBasket Qualifiers

The Israeli women's national basketball team is preparing to host Turkey on Saturday, November 26th, at 19:40 (live on 5PLUS) in Riga, Latvia, as part of the EuroBasket qualifiers. This crucial match follows a disappointing loss to Poland, where Israel showed promise for three quarters before collapsing in the final period.

The team has spent the last two days focusing on tactical preparations for the game against Turkey, a recognized powerhouse in women's basketball. Turkey began the second stage of group play with a decisive 79:62 victory over Montenegro, led by Elif Bayram's 18 points and 10 rebounds. Despite their strength, Turkey experienced three losses at the recent World Championship and finished seventh in the previous EuroBasket tournament. The last encounter between Israel and Turkey was in 2016, with Israel securing a narrow 63:62 win.

Player Shir Tirosh emphasized the team's focus on learning from their previous game to improve against Turkey. "We need to close out games better, be more fluid in our play, and handle the pressure against us," Tirosh stated. She acknowledged the team's good performance against Poland, despite the frustrating loss, and expressed belief in their potential to close out games effectively.

Following the match against Turkey, the Israeli team will embark on a lengthy journey on Sunday morning, traveling via Denmark and Hungary to Montenegro. Their final game of the current window will be against the Montenegrin national team on Tuesday.