>>
Basketball – illustration photo.
Tel Aviv – Czech women's basketball players beat Greece 79:76 in the round of 16 of the European Championship in Tel Aviv, and for the first time since 2013, they reached the top eight teams of the tournament. On Thursday, they will face Hungary, which dominated Group D and advanced directly to the quarterfinals. For the next fights, the team of coach Romana Ptáčková will move from Israel to Ljubljana on Tuesday.
Advertisement'; }
In Slovenia, the Czechs will fight not only to advance to the medal matches, but also to participate in the qualification for the Olympic Games next year in Paris, where the five best teams from EuroBasket will be joined by host France.
Petra Holešínská contributed 19 points to the victory, Veronika Šípová (15) and Natálie Stoupalová (10) also scored double-digit points. Even the double doubles of Mariella Fasula (26 points and 13 rebounds) and Eleanna Christinaki (11 points and 10 rebounds) or Artemis Spanu's 22 points were not enough for Greece.
From the beginning, the Czechs made up for the loss they took after Fasula's opening four points. Although they equalized twice thanks to Emma Čechová's basket and two successful sixes from Holešínská, the Greeks twice escaped to a seven-point lead. Nevertheless, Kateřina Zeithammerová ensured a tie at the end of the first quarter with a triple with the horn.
Thanks to Fasula and Spanu, Greece repeatedly took the lead. Fasulová caused problems for the Czech team under the basket and managed 17 points in the half. Coach Ptáčková's choice was able to turn the score around to 41:40 thanks to Čechová's converted six from two and Zeithammer's successful escape, and 22 seconds before halftime he led for the first time in the game, but Spanuová reversed the result before the break.
From the 17th minute the Czechs played without Veronika Voráčková, who started after problems with her ankle until Sunday's third game of the tournament against Israel. She did not continue the game after a bad footing.
The Czechs took the lead for the second time right after the break thanks to a triple by Natália Stoupalová. But Greece escaped to the lead 57:52, the Czech team turned it to 61:59 after a shot from long range by Petra Holešínská and a penetration by Andělova, but at the end of the third quarter Spanuová leveled the score with two sixes.
In the fourth quarter, after baskets by Holešínská and four points by Dominika Paurová, the Czech team led for the first time with a bigger difference, 69:63. Greece reduced the deficit to two points, but Holešínská increased the score to 72:67 with a basket and a converted six, and then again to 75:68. Subsequently, Fasulaová and Pinelopi Pavlopulusová reduced the score to 74:75 with one successful six and three.
In the dramatic ending, Holešínská converted both free throws 12.6 seconds before the siren. Fasulaová corrected to 76:77, but subsequently Holešínská was 100% successful again after a foul on the sixes and completed the progression.
Women's Basketball Championship in Slovenia and Israel:
Round of 16 (Tel Aviv):< /h4>
Czech Republic – Greece 79:76 (22:22, 41:42, 61:61)
Composition and points Czech Republic: Holešínská 19, Stoupalová 10, Vyoralová 6, Hamzová 3, Březinová – Šípová 15, Zeithammerová 8, G. Andělová, Čechová po 7, Paurová 4, Voráčková 0.
Most points of Greece: Fasulaová 26, Spanuová 22, Christinakiová 11.
Fouls: 20:17. Free throws: 24/22 – 17/12. Triples: 9:4. Rebounds: 33:44.
