In the absence of only eleven seconds, when the victory seemed sealed, fate decided to write a last unexpected chapter. A foul on Bernies and, almost no respite, another about Rupert, returned hope to the rival team. With the heart of the pavilion beating to the limit, the … French pivot was planted in the free throw line with the opportunity to match the score. He sported the first. The silence was absolute. He launched the second … and failed. The ball spit by the hoop released the contained tension and gave way to an explosion of jubilation. The euphoria, now, was unstoppable. Miguel Méndez’s players exceed France (64-65) and get into the final of the Women’s Eurobasket for the second time.
The final moments of the last quarter were agonized for Spain. With only 8 tenths and a two -point Spanish advantage, a personal lack of career allowed the possible tie of France from the free kick.
Rupert, who was in charge of executing the two throws, scored the first, but his hand trembled in the second and the ball bounced against the iron, thus exhausting the regulatory time and certifying the pass to the final for Spain.
The Spanish ones, who were below on the scoreboard most of the time and had a 10-point disadvantage, turned it around the end of the third quarter, with a 46-49 result. Valeriane Ayayi and Mamignan Toure were the French who gave the most problems to Spain, with a spectacular performance both in attack and defense and a total of 33 points scored between them.
But wearing the Spanish shirt was Awa Fam, who was the best player of the match. The combination of physique and quality that the Alicante holds was decisive so that Spain could overcome the solid French block. The Valencia Basket pivot closed the duel as the top scorer, with a total of 21 points scored.
Alba Torrens, which is a guarantee for the Spanish team, stood out again with a sample of quality and fundamental experience to overcome the galas. The captain, Awa Fam and Helena Pueyo led the pass from Spain to the final.
