By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Daniel Koperberg dropped 27 points (13/16 points) and grabbed nine rebounds, Tamir Blatt registered a double-double of 10 points/14 assists as Israel beat France 74 – 52 to advance to the U20 European Championship Final for the first time since 2004.
“Les Bleus” struggled offensively, as their final output shows, with Gauthier Denis being the only player who scored in double figures, finishing with 13 points.
A 21-11 entrance by the Israelis gave them a boost that helped them close halftime up by 10, 36 – 26. But it was in the second half where they unleashed, either with the pick n’ roll connections between Koperberg and Blatt or by making the most out of the ample transition opportunities they received following France’s inability to connect with the basket.
France tried to remain close but with the score 56 – 45, their opponents achieved a 13 – 2 partial score for the 69 – 47 with only four minutes left. There was no turning back after that.