Spain didn’t capture gold but Amaya Valdemoro was rewarded for her terrific tournament and amazing performance in the final with the EuroBasket Women’s Most Valuable Player award.

Valdemoro had 26 points and eight rebounds as Spain battled back from a 20-point deficit at half-time to trail 69-65.

France power forward Sandrine Gruda was honoured with the 2006 FIBA Europe Young Women's Player of the Year Award before the tip-off of Sunday's 2007 EuroBasket Women gold medal match between Russia and Spain.

The Cannes native, who just turned 20 in June, has already twice been named MVP of the French league while also helping Valenciennes to the 2006 Final Four of the Women EuroLeague. Gruda also competed for France at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Brazil, averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Belarus survived a furious comeback by Latvia to win 72-63 and capture the bronze medal in their very first appearance at the EuroBasket Women.

Anatoli Buyalski’s team led by as many as 25 points late in the third quarter but had to hold on for dear life as the Baltic side closed the gap to 61-57 with 3:29 to go on Ieva Kublina’s four-point play.

The last team to get the ticket for the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament is the Czech Republic.

The former champs easily beat Lithuania in the classification game for fifth place 93-54 and finished the tournament with two wins in a row.

Belgium officials are left to ponder the future of women's basketball after Laurent Buffard coached his final game for the national team, leading the Belgians to seventh place at the 2007 EuroBasket Women after Sunday's 72-63 victory against France.

“My mission with the national team is over.  I hope that the Belgian team will be able to qualify for the next EuroBasket,” said Buffard, who leaves Beglium after his arrival in February 2006.

Belgium finally got back on the winning track on Sunday in beating France 72-63 to capture seventh place at the 2007 EuroBasket Women.

Ann Wauters had 25 points and eight rebounds while Anke De Mondt scored 13 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter as Belgium snapped a four-game losing streak after winning their first four games of the tournament.