The German basketball players were eliminated at the European Championships in Slovenia. In the quarterfinals against top favorite Spain a clear 42:67 (16:33) defeat.
While Spain is playing for the medals in Ljubljana at the weekend, the German team of national coach Lisa Thomaidis has to win two games in the placement round to still buy a ticket for an Olympic qualifying tournament for Paris 2024. It was the first European Championship quarterfinals for the German women’s basketball team since 1997.
Spain makes it clear
The surprise team around hopefuls Leonie Fiebich and Marie Gülich had no chance against Spain. After a quarter the deficit was in double digits, at half time the Thomaidis team had converted five of 27 throws. Gülich (six points), Fiebich (five) and Luisa Geiselsöder (four), who were previously strong at the European Championship, were also massively limited by the rigorous defense of the Spaniards.
On the favorite side, Laura Gil was the most successful thrower with 13 points. Germany’s coach Thomaidis had previously spoken of “a nice challenge” and “a great stage”. After the last three victories over Slovenia, Great Britain and Slovakia, your team seemed overwhelmed by the overwhelming task.
Before Spain, Hungary, France and Belgium also reached the semi-finals. Germany meets the Czech Republic in the placement round on Saturday. Another game on Sunday is only possible if you win. Places seven and eight are no longer played. The semifinals, also on Saturday, feature Spain versus Hungary and Belgium versus France. Serbia’s successor as European champion will be chosen on Sunday.
