Israel Women Fall 76-67 to Turkey in European Championship Qualifiers
Israel's women's basketball team fell 76-67 to Turkey in the European Championship qualifiers in Riga, despite a career-high 19 points from Eden Cipel.
The Israel women's national basketball team suffered a 76-67 defeat against Turkey on Saturday evening in the second round of the European Championship qualifiers, playing their home match in Riga, Latvia.
Following a 75-64 loss to Poland on Wednesday, the Israeli side once again fell short despite a career-high 19 points from Eden Cipel. Early points from Avi Meyers gave Israel a brief 4-3 lead, but it proved to be their only advantage of the contest. Turkey quickly took control, building a 22-10 lead by the end of the first quarter behind precise shooting from Derin Erdogan and Elif Unar.
Turkey extended their margin to 21 points before a late first-half push led by Cipel, Daniel Raber, and Yarden Garzon helped narrow the deficit to 47-29 at halftime. Israel continued to battle in the second half, mounting a 9-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to cut the margin to single digits at 60-51.
Solid defensive stops and late three-pointers from Emy Reinat and Eden Rotberg brought Israel within five points with four and a half minutes remaining. However, the team failed to capitalize on crucial scoring opportunities down the stretch, allowing Turkey to pull away and secure the 76-67 victory.
Israel will look to regroup in the upcoming qualifying fixtures as they navigate the challenging group stage away from home.
