Mark Scannell: ‘We’ll learn a lot from it and Ireland will come back stronger’

Ireland’s senior women’s basketball squad finished their first campaign in seven years with a silver medal following defeat to Malta in the final of the FIBA European Championships For Small Countries in Gibraltar last night.

Malta’s 67-59 win was their third in the last five tournaments, but they had to come from behind against an Irish side who produced a stunning first half of basketball.

“We had them at half-time,” said a disappointed head coach, Mark Scannell. “We were doing all the things we were really good at and we just came out flat for the second-half.”