The girls' national team opened the European Championship with a victory over Switzerland
Maayan Gorin (19 points) and Maya Zilbershlag (17) stood out in the difficult 72:66 win for the blue-and-whites in the European Championship Division B. On Saturday: Norway awaits.
The Israeli girls' national team opened the European Championship (Division B) today, Friday, on the right foot with a 72:66 victory over Switzerland. Despite a hesitant start and a double-digit deficit early in the game, the charges of Roi Eisenberg knew how to get back into the match thanks to excellent defense, strong offensive ability from Maayan Gorin, and decisive moments from Maya Zilbershlag.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Israel will meet Norway in its second group stage game. As a reminder, the top two teams out of five will advance to the quarterfinals.
Switzerland started better and quickly took a 10:2 lead. Maya Zilbershlag, who came off the bench, provided important points, but the Swiss continued to dominate and led 22:15 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter looked different. Maayan Gorin, Or Gadot, and Rotem Shtiklaro led a 19:6 run, at the end of which Israel completed a comeback to take a 30:28 lead. Switzerland stopped the momentum with a timeout, but until the break, Israel continued to control the game and went to the locker rooms with a 37:32 lead.
At the start of the second half, Israel maintained its advantage. A three-pointer by Mika Kanitz made it 46:44, and later Maayan Gorin and Mika Yanai added two more three-pointers that helped the team finish the third quarter with a 58:54 lead.
Switzerland managed to turn the score around at the start of the final quarter, but it was precisely in the moments of pressure that big three-pointers from Maya Zilbershlag and Maayan Gorin arrived, returning the lead to Israel at 64:60 with five minutes remaining. The duo continued to lead the team in the final minutes as Israel pulled away to 71:64, and as both teams struggled to produce points, Israel maintained the lead to secure a 72:66 victory in the opening game.
Scorers for Israel: Maayan Gorin 19 points, Maya Zilbershlag 17, Mika Kanitz 10, Tamar Karmi 9, Mika Yanai 7, Rotem Shtiklaro 6, and Or Gadot 3.
