Israel Advances to EuroBasket Final Phase with 92-89 Win Over Belgium
Katowice, Poland – September 2, 2025 – Israel secured a spot in the Final Phase of FIBA EuroBasket 2025, defeating Belgium 92-89 in Group D action on Tuesday. The victory guarantees Israel qualification for the Round of 16 in Riga, alongside Poland.
Israel built a commanding lead in the first half, fueled by strong performances from Deni Avdija and Roman Sorkin, extending their advantage to as many as 21 points. Belgium mounted a fierce comeback in the final quarter, narrowing the gap to just three points with eight seconds remaining. However, Israel’s Yam Madar calmly converted free throws to seal the win.
The turning point came as Belgium increased the tempo in the fourth quarter, scoring quickly in transition and reducing Israel’s 17-point lead. Despite the late surge, Belgium couldn’t overcome the deficit.Deni Avdija led Israel with 22 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds, becoming the first Israeli player to score 20+ points in multiple games at a single EuroBasket tournament since Oded Kattash in 1997. Roman Sorkin contributed 18 points (6-of-7 from two-point range,6-of-6 from the free-throw line) and 4 rebounds.
Hans vanwijn paced Belgium with a near triple-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Israel dominated the paint, outscoring Belgium 44-32 and shooting 22-of-39 from two-point range. Thay have limited Group D opponents to an average of 73.8 points per game.
Israel (2-1) will conclude the Group Phase against Slovenia on September 4 at 17:00 CET. Belgium (1-3) faces group hosts Poland in their final game in Katowice, currently sitting in 5th place in Group D.
“We secured our goal, and I’m proud of us. I feel like Roman is very efficient with the way he’s playing. He knows what he’s doing, and we trust him over there. We know he’s gonna be there for us,” said Israel’s Yam Madar.
“I felt good, I had the touches in the places I wanted. My teammates found me, and I’m happy I made the shots to create the lead and bring the energy for our team,” added Israel’s Roman Sorkin.
belgium’s loic schwartz lamented, ”The biggest regret we have is that we didn’t start well. I don’t know what happened at the beginning. With the team we have, we need to give our best for 40 minutes. Most of the time, we don’t have consistency.”
