Spain overwhelms Austria in La Laguna
The women’s team also beats the Central European teams in its second game on the way to Eurobasket 2025
MADRID, 12 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s basketball team has had no mercy on Austria (75-34) and has said goodbye to 2023 with a solid victory on the second day of the qualifying phase for Eurobasket 2025, all after a comfortable match in which center Paula Ginzo (16) and captain Laura Gil (14) led the Spanish attack in La Laguna (Tenerife).
After Thursday’s hard-fought victory against Croatia in Split (65-70), Miguel Méndez’s team closed the first ‘window’ by offering an exhibition at the Santiago Martín Pavilion against the weakest rival in the qualifying phase, which was always at the mercy of the Spanish team in the first meeting between both teams.
The duel was already looking like a party at the Tenerife venue when the European runners-up took to the court with a 12-0 start, which cut off a triple by Sina Elke Hollerl. In the final minutes of the opening quarter, Austria managed to get closer, but two baskets by Laura Gil and Nerea Hermosa cleared up any hint of doubt (20-9).
With Paula Ginzo, with 10 points, and Gil and Lola Pendande, with 7, as leaders in attack in the first 20 minutes, the Spanish team had a brilliant second quarter that they completed dominating with almost 70% accuracy in shooting from two and taking advantage the losses of a rival subjected to his designs (43-17).
The trend continued after the locker room, when Spain increased its lead to 33 points; Austria tried to close the gap from the three-point line, but the local team managed to escape definitively (58-25). In the last quarter, both teams let themselves get carried away until the final score was 75-34.
Paula Ginzo, with 16 points, was the top scorer for the Spanish team, while power forward Laura Gil, with a ‘double-double’ of 14 points and 11 rebounds, was the reference in a duel in which she finished with 30 of valuation. Shooting guard Queralt Casas also contributed 14 points.
In this way, Miguel Méndez’s team says goodbye to 2023 in first place in Group A, which gives the direct ticket to the continental event that will be organized by the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Italy next summer, from June 19 to 29.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: SPAIN, 75 – AUSTRIA, 34 (43-17, at halftime).
–EQUIPMENT.
SPAIN: Maite Cazorla (4), Queralt Casas (14), María Conde (4), Laura Gil (14) and Paula Ginzo (16) –starting quintet–; Silvia Domínguez (-), Leticia Romero (-), Helena Oma (2), Leonor Rodríguez (5), Alba Torrens (3), Lola Pendande (9) and Nerea Hermosa (4).
AUSTRIA: Fuchs-Robetin (-), Wildbacher (-), Sill (4), Schicher (10) and Koizar (-) –quinteto inicial–; Hollerl (3), Kunz (6), Rdhammer (), Zderadicka (4), Allesch (7), Krisper (-), Alborova (-) and Solyom (-).
–PARTIALS: 20-9, 23-8, 15-8 and 17-9.
–REFEREES: Pedroso, Dominique and Coanus.
–PAVILLION: Santiago Martín.