Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Saturday 14 March 2026, Luxembourg’s women’s national basketball team suffered its second defeat in the first round of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, losing to Israel at the Coque in Luxembourg-Kirchberg behind closed doors.

Both Patrick Unger’s team and their opponents had already secured qualification for the second round from Group A, meaning the result would not affect the standings. Luxembourg nevertheless had an opportunity to take revenge after losing the away match on matchday two by 65-77.

The teams began the game on equal terms, but with two and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter Israel produced a decisive run. Four points from Dorian Dahan Sujic and two each from Alyssa Baron and Eden Zipel helped the visitors move ahead 18-9. Luxembourg responded with a three-pointer from Anne Simon and a basket from Svenia Nurenberg to reduce the deficit to five points.

Shira Haelion’s team extended their advantage early in the second quarter, building a thirteen-point lead within two minutes. Patrick Unger called a timeout, after which Luxembourg responded with four points from Dionne Madjo and a three-pointer from Esmeralda Skrijelj to close the gap to 21-27. However, Israel regained momentum and soon restored a double-digit lead.

The visitors effectively neutralised Luxembourg’s main scorer Joyce Isi Etute and went into halftime with a 42-29 advantage.

Israel continued to dominate after the break. Alyssa Baron added five more points early in the third quarter, while Daniel Raber contributed two, extending the lead to twenty points. Luxembourg scored their first points of the half near the end of the third minute when Svenia Nurenberg finished a fast break following a long pass from Anne Simon. Dionne Madjo then added two consecutive baskets under the rim.

Midway through the quarter, Israel’s lead grew to 59-35 as the visitors continued to convert their chances. Luxembourg responded with points from Sofie Olsen and Liz Irthum, while Eden Zipel and Gili Eisner also scored for Israel. Anne Simon converted a three-pointer in the final minute of the quarter, but the teams entered the last break with Israel leading 63-42.

The final quarter followed a similar pattern. Israel scored the first five points of the period as Luxembourg struggled offensively, prompting another timeout from Patrick Unger. Joyce Isi Etute then added two points, only her second basket of the game.

Fast breaks and efficient finishing from Israel increased the gap to 27 points midway through the quarter (71-44). Free throws from Magaly Meynadier following a foul, along with baskets from Anne Simon and Esmeralda Skrijelj with two and a half minutes remaining, slightly reduced the deficit. However, Luxembourg’s defensive struggles prevented any realistic comeback and Israel secured a 76-52 victory at the final whistle.

“It was a tough game for us. They took away a lot of things that we usually do. We tried a couple of things that we hadn't done before, but they came out really aggressive, which is actually something we wanted to do ourselves. With 31 turnovers forced against us, it was always going to be difficult,” Luxembourg head coach Patrick Unger told Chronicle.lu.

He added: “We have to give them credit, but at the same time this is a big stepping stone for us. It shows how we deal with adversity, and hopefully this team will learn from it as we continue to build for the future.”

Israel held a clear advantage in several key statistical categories, notably points off turnovers (35-11) and fast-break points (19-5). The visitors also dominated inside the paint (40-26) and received stronger scoring contributions from the bench (29-16).

In the other Group A match, Ireland defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 81-78 away from home.

Luxembourg’s women’s national basketball team will play their final first-round match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday 17 March 2026 at 20:00 in Zenica.