Women Spanish National Basket Team U20, champion of Europe

USPA NEWS - A year after France conquered gold in Women's European Basketball National Team U20 defeating Spain, the Spanish team took revenge and rolled Sunday in a thrilling final to the French to take the gold.

Spain is the new European champion in the category, its fifth gold medal. It is the only team to win all the matches of the final tournament, which was held from 2 to 12 July in the Canary island of Lanzarote. And he did it in a big way: rolling five-time champion Russia in the semifinals on Saturday and twenty-four hours later to France in the final.

Spain can. A few weeks after the national team conquered the bronze at the Europeans in its category, the U20 recorded that Spain has quarry. The Spanish women's basketball future is secured with players like Leticia Romero, Laura Quevedo, Helena Orts, Belen Arrojo, Laia Flores, Nogaye Lo, Judith Sole, Marina Lizarazu and all others. Young realities of a sport gaining popularity in Spain as a result of successful policy of the sports authorities and has turned Spain into a world power.

Gold of European national teams was the prize deserved to play a team that believed in himself and never slowed down. He proved on Saturday defeating to a Russia that was five times European champion and that day was slowed and blocked by a Spain ready to reach the final. And on Sunday, against a France with great fighting spirit, which again demonstrated. On the basis of this attitude is the national coach Jose Ignacio Hernandez, who throughout the tournament gave a lecture on strategy and vision of the game.

Spain avenged their defeat in the 2014 U20 European Championship Women final with an impressive 66-47 victory against France. An early 13-0 run, bookended by three-pointers by Leticia Romero and Laura Quevedo, saw Spain establish their dominance at 20-8. France remained within reach of a comeback, however, until their frustration began to show and a technical foul allowed Leticia Romero to grow the lead to 15 from the free throw line with 7:46 remaining.

Spain punished France's mistakes, and in a game of fine margins, such efficiency was a big factor. The hosts looked after the ball well against the competition's best defence, committing just 12 turnovers. And while France only gave the ball up without a shot on three more occasions, those opportunities were converted into 12 Spanish points. It was clear from the outset that tournament MVP Romero was simply not going to allow her team to fall at the final hurdle two years in a row. The point guard has grown from her experiences with the senior national team and it shows. She got her team going early on and finished with 22 points in another assured display as she controlled the game.

These were clearly the two best teams in the tournament, both going unbeaten on their road to the final. Another chapter is added to the ever-developing rivalry between these two great basketball nations, at all levels, while Spain have now won 44 international women's basketball medals since 2004. The core of this group has also now won gold at U16, U18 and U20 European Championships.