Joyous Sweden End 25 Years Of Hurt

Louice Halvarsson led the way for Sweden with 21 points and nine rebounds.

A quarter of a century after their last EuroBasket Women Final Round appearance, Sweden is back at the top table once again having been crowned Group D winners after an impressive 71-54 rout of Bulgaria.

Wrapping up their place in France next summer with real style, the result never looked in doubt and consequently Swedish fans were able to start the party early once their team had opened up a healthy looking double-digit lead.

With Bulgaria lacking any real depth or offensive talent, once the hosts got their noses in front they simply controlled the game and kept their opponents at arm's length.

Unsurprisingly, the success sparked scenes of unbridled joy at the final buzzer and especially for a generation which had previously promised so much and yet had been part of Sweden almost incomprehensibly being relegated to the now defunct Division B only a few short years ago.

That serious low point for women's basketball in Sweden could barely have seemed further away in Södertälje as fittingly, the 1988-89 generation took the initiative and fired their team to an entirely new and exciting chapter.

Louice Halvarsson was a menace under the basket once more with a near double-double of 21 points and nine rebounds while both Eldebrink twins made telling contributions - Elin dishing up seven assists and Frida finishing with 15 points and five assists.

But, Sweden has shown it isn't just about this headline trio of names but is a true team and possibly the real deal.

Time will tell whether that's the case but for now, it's all about celebrating a very much coveted spot at EuroBasket Women next year.

Quotes Sweden vs. Bulgaria

Bulgaria coach Jose Maria Buceta:
"Sweden plays as a team. Today, many think of basketball as tennis, but it's not, it's a team sport. Sweden has good individual players, but the big thing is that they play as a team. To me, it's because they have a good policy when they work with youth players. That they win the group and qualify for EuroBasket Women 2013 is well deserved. I congratulate Sweden."

Bulgaria player Dimana Georgieva:
"I played against Sweden in the European Youth Championships and I knew since then that they are a very good team. They are difficult to play against, they help each other so well. I congratulate Sweden for qualifying for EuroBasket Women 2013."

Sweden coach Lars Johansson:
"When the final whistle went, my strongest feeling was exhaustion. It takes so much out of you to concentrate so hard and long as you have to do during a qualifying period. I'm so proud of the players, they have done an incredible job. We have been very good at playing one game, be happy for a couple of hours, and then put that game in the books and move on to the next. I look so much forward to EuroBasket Women 2013. I've been there a lot of times with a pencil and a pad, trying to figure out a way to get Sweden there. It feels really good now."

Sweden player Kadidja Andersson:
"I agree with Jose Maria Buceta, our biggest strength is that we play as a team. I feel fantastic right now, I've been playing with the Swedish national team for quite a few years and this team is very special. Also, I'm very impressed with our coaching staff and the job they did in preparing us for the games. I think, to us, the biggest game was the first against Romania that we lost. It was after that game we had a meeting and really came together as a group. We decided then that we're never going to leave anything on the floor again. Eurobasket 2013, it's going to be very exciting."