EuroBasket: Lyttle Guides Spain to Gold, Meesseman Captures Historic Medal

Justin Lester

EuroBasket Women 2017 has come to an end, and WNBA stars Sancho Lyttle and Emma Meesseman are both returning home with medals to show for it.

On Sunday in the Czech Republic, Lyttle helped Spain to a 71-55 win over France in the gold-medal game. The Atlanta Dream forward finished with 19 points, eight boards and four steals as Spain re-captured the title after taking bronze in 2015. Lyttle averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the tournament.

Lyttle was the MVP when Spain last won the gold at EuroBasket in 2013. This time around, teammate Alba Torrens claimed the honors.

Belgium, meanwhile, bounced back from a 68-52 loss to Spain in the semifinals, which turned out to be its only defeat of the tournament. Meesseman and Belgium dominated Greece 78-45 on Sunday to capture the bronze. It is the team’s first-ever EuroBasket medal, as Belgium’s best finish had been sixth place in 2003.

Meesseman, who scored 15 points on Sunday, finished the tournament with averages of 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Thanks to her stellar play, the Washington Mystics forward was named one of five All-Stars in EuroBasket. She had her best game in the quarterfinals against Italy, posting a stat line of 28 points, 11 boards, five assists and five blocks.

Former WNBA All-Star Ann Wauters also contributed to Belgium’s success, averaging 13.3 points.

After a tournament they won’t soon forget, Meesseman and Lyttle now return to their WNBA teams.