Israel hands France its first FIBA EuroBasket defeat

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Israel was down, but they were never out.

After trailing by double digits through the first three quarters, the Israelis tightened their defense in the final frame and handed France its first loss, 82-69, in the ongoing FIBA EuroBasket tournament on Aug. 31, 2025, in Poland.

France appeared headed for another convincing win after protecting a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter of the Group D showdown.

However, Israel flipped the script with a momentum-swinging 11-0 scoring run that erased the deficit and gave them the lead.

In the first three minutes of the final quarter, France failed to score and struggled against Israel’s mixed-zone defense, which shut down open three-point attempts and clogged driving lanes at the top of the key.

The defensive adjustment was so effective that France resorted to multiple isolation plays for Bilal Coulibaly near the elbows.

France had dominated the first half with crisp ball movement, but their fourth-quarter collapse forced them out of rhythm and into reactive play.

The Paris Olympic silver medalists managed only 13 points in the final quarter—their lowest single-quarter output since the EuroBasket tournament began.

NBA standout Deni Avdija led Israel with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five steals.

The Portland Trail Blazers swingman ignited Israel’s 11-0 run with a three-pointer, a reverse layup, and two free throws.

When France leaned again on Coulibaly in the final three minutes, Avdija responded with a cold-blooded triple to push Israel’s lead to 11 points.

“Everybody contributed today with the defensive game plan, with the aggressiveness, and the willingness to fight,” said Avdija in the post-game press conference.

Yam Madar backed up Avdija with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.