Israel U-20 basketball team tops Germany, heads to Euro semifinal
National squad, led by Ron Zipper’s 23 points, wins 75-64 in a one-sided game
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The Israeli U-20 national basketball team beat Germany 75-64 in the quarterfinals of the European Championship on Thursday.
Following a surprise upset victory against Spain on Wednesday in the round of 16, Israel took down the Germans in a game that was not as close as the final score suggested.
Guard Ron Zipper led Israel’s scoring effort with 23 points. Besides Zipper, three Israelis players scored in double digits, including double-doubles from Daniel Wolf and Noam Yaacov.
Unlike in earlier stages of the tournament, Israel’s defense was stronger against the Germans, holding them to 6/26 shooting from beyond the 3-point line.
The U-20 team, led by coach Elad Hasin, will be making its fourth straight trip to the semifinal stage in the competition and will play the victor of the quarterfinal game between Belgium and Lithuania.
Last year, the national team finished in fourth place after having won the competition in 2019 and 2018 with rosters led by current NBA power forward Deni Avdija of the Washington Wizards and Euroleague guard Yam Madar, who recently signed with Turkish side Fenerbahçe Beko.
While the U-20 national team’s success in basketball is not unprecedented, it coincides with last month’s surprising results by the U-20 Israeli national soccer team that finished third place in the U-20 World Cup.
The Times of Israel Community.