The Israel Under-20 Women’s National Team slipped by Croatia 87-85 in a dramatic thriller to even up their record at the European Championship being held in Lithuania at 1-1. Although Tal Natan’s team led for most of the game, Croatia stayed within striking distance thanks largely to its dominance on the boards, finishing with 55 rebounds. Ayala Oren made two crucial free throws with just over a second remaining, while Gal Raviv starred once again with 26 points, including 25 in the second half. Israel will face host nation and European Championship runner-up Lithuania on Tuesday, 6:00pm Israel time in its final group-stage game.

Israel came out determined, tightening its defense and racing to an early 11–3 lead behind 3-pointers from Maya Zilbershlag and Maayan Cohen, forcing Croatia to call an early timeout. Israel applied full-court pressure, creating turnovers that led to easy baskets while Maya Elmaliah caught fire with 8 consecutive points, helping Israel finish the first quarter ahead 26–19. Israel’s offense continued to flow in the second quarter as Neta Mishar benefited from assists by Raviv and Cohen, scoring five points to maintain a comfortable lead at 31–24 with seven minutes remaining in the half. Croatia gradually settled into the game, exploiting its size advantage inside and steadily cutting into the deficit as Petra Bozan was nearly unstoppable with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Israel went into halftime holding a 40–37 advantage.

Gal Raviv took over after the break, scoring Israel’s first 11 points of the third quarter, but Croatia remained close as 3-point play by Bozan cut the deficit to 51–50 with 4 minutes left in the period. Li Teichman and Maayan Cohen sparked another Israeli run, while Raviv capped an outstanding quarter with 13 points, giving Israel a 66–55 lead heading into the fourth. Croatia opened the final frame with a 10–3 run to trim Israel’s lead to just four points as Tal Natan’s offense stalled, while Croatia began knocking down 3-pointers at will to give Croatia a 78–76 lead with 3:47 remaining.

However, Raviv scored five straight points to put Israel back in front, 85–80 but Croatia refused to give in and eventually tied the game at 85–85. On Israel’s final possession, Raviv found Ayala Oren, who drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with 1.2 seconds left and calmly made her first two free throws, intentionally missed the third to prevent Croatia from getting another chance to secure an 87–85 victory. Raviv scored 26 points and dished out 9 assists, Cohen added 14 points while Ayala Oren scored 11 points in the win.

Head Coach Tal Natan spoke about the victory over Croatia, “Credit to the players and my coaching staff. This is our first win at the European Championship. Croatia is a very tall and physically strong team. As a national team, we’ll have to improve our defense and rebounding. I’m happy that the players followed the tactical game plan and managed to win an important game. We’re already starting to prepare for the game against Lithuania, which will also be tough and physical. I’m proud that we showed character on our way to our first victory at the European Championship. We’ll rest tomorrow and come back ready for the game against Lithuania.”

In Israel’s opening game of the tournament, the young blue-and-white fell to Spain 68-66 as Tal Natan’s squad came very close to pulling off a huge upset against the defending champions, but fell just short after an incredible finish. Gal Raviv delivered a spectacular performance with 33 points but missed an open 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have given Israel the victory. Throughout the game, Israel matched Spain step for step, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.