The cheers that greeted Israel’s under-20 women’s basketball team at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday evening were for more than a silver medal. After becoming the first Israeli women’s national basketball team to win a medal at a European championship, the players returned home following a week that captivated sports fans across the country.
Israel capped its remarkable run at the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) U20 Women’s EuroBasket competition in Lithuania on Sunday by winning the silver medal, falling 79-66 to France in the championship game.
The team was welcomed by family members, supporters and Israel Basketball Association officials before holding a celebratory press conference at the airport.
Israel reached the final after finishing second in Group A, then defeated Hungary 96-79 in the Round of 16, edged Poland 80-79 in the quarterfinals, and beat Belgium 78-69 in the semifinals.
To advance to the knockout stage, Israel won two of its three group games. After narrowly losing to defending champion Spain in its opener, Israel rebounded to defeat Croatia 87-85 before rallying from a 13-point deficit to beat host Lithuania 74-71.
France, which has won four of the last nine European U20 titles, raced to an 18-0 lead in the championship game against Israel’s starting lineup of Mayan Cohen, Ayala Oren, May Bayko, Maya Zilbershlag and Gal Raviv.
Israel steadily fought back, cutting the deficit to eight by the end of the first quarter. France led 44-31 at halftime and extended its advantage to as many as 23 points in the third quarter. Israel answered with a 9-0 run in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 68-58 with five minutes remaining, but France held on for the 79-66 victory.
Raviv led Israel with 29 points and eight rebounds and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five. Ayala Oren added 16 points and 10 rebounds, Maya Zilbershlag scored 12 points with six rebounds, May Bayko had four points, Neta Meisher added three and Mayan Cohen scored two. Cohen had poured in 26 points and tied the tournament record for three-pointers in Israel’s semifinal victory over Belgium.
France’s Sarah Cisse was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 15.4 points and 10 rebounds per game. She was joined on the All-Star Five by teammate Ines Pitarch-Granel, Spain’s Ines Sotelo Miguez, Lithuania’s Daniele Paunksnyte and Israel’s Raviv.
The tournament’s top five finishers were France, Israel, Spain, Belgium and Poland.
‘The girls have a crazy desire to succeed’
At the airport press conference, head coach Tal Nathan credited the team’s chemistry and resilience for its historic achievement.
“The girls have a crazy desire to succeed, they love each other and that’s the point. I walk around the hotel all day and notice the special bond between the players—that’s what helped us get out of stressful situations during the games. The ability to recover from a game that ended in the evening and play tomorrow evening requires physical and mental readiness, and we did it excellently. That’s the greatness of the girls.”
Raviv said hearing Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, before every game gave the team extra motivation.
“The anthem made us all come ‘crazy’ to every game. We are disappointed with the loss in the final, but very proud of the history we made.”
Israel Basketball Association Chairman Amos Frishman praised the team’s determination throughout the tournament.
“This tremendous achievement will always be remembered by the players. I even heard about girls who were injured and their ability to play was in doubt. From here I want to say to the men’s teams too—that it is possible to play even with minor injuries. I want as many young girls as possible to go and play basketball—we have a bright future!”
Liron Cohen, chairwoman of the Israel Basketball Association’s Women’s Professional Committee, said the players had inspired the next generation of Israeli athletes.
“I am very excited to stand here on the administrative side and see what the players did throughout the championship. You paved the way for the next generation. You were born basketball-playing girls and you swept up an entire country after you. The history that you made will never be forgotten. Everyone will go on her own way and find her own place, but the things you did on the national team—with the flag and the anthem of Israel—will be remembered forever. Nothing compares to that!”
The silver medal was the first ever won by an Israeli women’s national basketball team at a European championship, capping a breakthrough tournament that saw Israel upset several higher-ranked opponents and capture the imagination of basketball fans back home.
