Analysis
Spain 70-69 France: the EuroBasket Women 2013 final, quarter by quarter
How Spain’s fast start, France’s second-quarter run and a tight finish produced a one-point final in Orchies.
The final on 30 June 2013 at the Pévèle Arena in Orchies matched the two unbeaten teams of the tournament: Spain (8-0) and the hosts France (8-0). It finished 70-69, the smallest possible margin, and the quarter-by-quarter line shows how much the game swung.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 21 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 70 |
| France | 12 | 23 | 20 | 14 | 69 |
First quarter: Spain sets the tone (21-12)
Spain opened with the defensive pressure that had defined their tournament and turned French turnovers into points. A nine-point lead after ten minutes was Spain’s best quarter of the night.
Second quarter: France’s run (23-15)
France answered with their best spell, holding Spain scoreless for several minutes during a 13-0 run reported by Talkbasket, and briefly took the lead. Alba Torrens steadied Spain to make it 36-35 at half-time.
Third quarter: the hosts edge ahead (20-17)
France won the third quarter and carried a 55-53 lead into the last ten minutes, and leaving Spain needing to win a fourth quarter to finish unbeaten.
Fourth quarter: Spain’s 17-14 finish
Spain won the final period by three points. France scored the last basket — a late Sandrine Gruda finish that took her to a game-high 25 points — but time ran out one point short. Torrens led Spain with 21 points and Sancho Lyttle added 20 points and 11 rebounds.
What decided it
Both teams were efficient defensively all tournament, so the margins were always going to be small. The quarter line suggests the decisive factor was Spain’s start: France outscored Spain over the middle twenty minutes (43-32) and lost only because of the nine-point hole from the first quarter. Read the match page for both teams’ full paths.