Israel's women qualified for the Eurobasket 2009 finals in Latvia after beating Britain 75-69 in Tel Aviv.

Former WNBA star Shay Doron starred with 28 points as the Israelis secured victory in the closing stages. The hosts found the going much tougher than when they beat Britain 100-80 in Cardiff last month.

Israel's victory saw them qualify for the 16-team European finals for the second consecutive time after finishing top of a group that also included Lithuania, Ukraine and Germany.

There was a major shock in Liverpool where Israel crashed 86-96 to Britain in the Eurobasket 2009 men's qualifying tournament. Britain led throughout as Israel, who also lost in Bosnia against the Czech Republic, now look unlikely to reach their 10th successive European finals in Poland next summer.

Having beaten Britain in Tel Aviv, Israel must record home wins against the Czech Republic and Bosnia to keep alive their hopes.

"It's no disgrace to lose to Britain who now have a strong team," said Israeli basketball legend Tal Brody.
Yossi Benayoun, who had helped Liverpool beat Manchester United earlier, was among the 2,500 crowd.