World no. 2 Spain successfully topped the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket Women championship in Czech Republic last Sunday with a 71-55 win over France in the gold medal match of the tournament.
Alba Torrens scored 10 of her 18 points in the opening quarter as Spain took control of the match from the start. Spain led 39-30 at the half before finally pulling away in the second half.
Torrens shot 7-of-13 from the field and finished with three rebounds and two assists.
Sancho Lyttle topscored with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and added eight boards. Anna Cruz also tallied double-digits with 12 points while dishing out five assists.
Celine Dumerc led France with 15 points. However, key players Endy Miyem and Marine Johannes combined for just 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Diandra Tchatchouang was only other double-digit scorer with 10 points.
Torrens was named MVP of the tournament while also headlining the all-star five with France's Miyem, Italy's Cecilia Zandalasini, Belgium's Emma Meesseman, and Greece's Evanthia Maltsi.
The 27-year-old UMMC Ekaterinburg forward had an all-around campaign for Spain, averaging 17.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.2 SPG while shooting an astounding 53.6 percent from three-point area.
The 21-year-old Zandalasini had an impressive debut in the EuroBasket Women stage. She was the second-leading scorer in the league with 19 PPG, just behind Ukraine's Alina Iagupova (21.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.5 APG). She shot 51 percent overall. She also averaged 9.6 RPG.
Maltsi, the 38-year-old, helped Greece beat the odds, averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.1 APG. The Washington Mystics forward Meesseman carried Belgium, norming 17.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.7 BPG.
Belgium, which achieved milestones in this tournament, capped their inspiring run with the bronze medal after dominating Greece, 78-45 in the third-place game. It's the first podium finish for Belgium, which returned to the EuroBasket Women for the first time in 10 years.
Kim Mestagh had 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the win. Meesseman added 15 points while veteran Ann Wauters chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds.
Joining Spain, France, Belgium, and Greece in the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup next year are Turkey and Latvia.
The next continental championship in the calendar year is the 2017 FIBA Asia Women's Cup in India next month, which has four slots for the World Cup at stake.
Watch the highlights of the final with this video from the FIBA YouTube channel.
All photos from FIBA.com
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