By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Thanks to an admirable fourth quarter and despite the disappointment of losing to Poland in the last seconds, Israel got the crucial 80-69 win over France, which can be pivotal to the Group D rankings.
It was the second win of Israel in the tournament after three games and the first defeat of France, with Deni Avdija with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five steals leading a balanced effort.
“We had a tough loss yesterday, and I felt a little down, so today coming to the game with no excuses to beat one of the best teams of the tournament is a big deal, honestly, it’s one of the most fun wins I’ve had”, said Avdija
Yam Madar, with 17 points, also had his best game so far in the tournament, while Tomer Ginat added 14 points and Romain Sorkin had 12 points and eight rebounds on an admirable turnaround from losing to Poland 66-64 a few hours ago.
France, which was coming off the win over Slovenia, got 14 points from Zacharrie Risacher but shot just 36% from the field. France entered the last period up by one (56-55) after a four-point play by Elie Okobo and couldn’t finish the game the right way.
“We didn’t play with the right attitude and now the most important thing is the next game”, said coach Fred Fauthoux after the final buzzer.
The last defeat of France to Israel in a Eurobasket dates back to 1997. Alex Sarr wasn’t used due to a minor injury.
After this result, the top of Group D belongs to Poland, which remains the only unbeaten team after beating Iceland. The hosts played with fire, but got to a 3-0 record with the final score being 84-75, and Iceland putting the pressure until the end.
Jordan Loyd with 26 points and Mateusz Ponitka with 18, eight rebounds, and eight assists were great for the winners once more, while Tryggvi Hlinason had a double-double for Iceland (21 p. 10 r.).
Photo credit: FIBA