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France saw off a spirited performance from defending champions Russia to claim the gold medal at the women's European Championships in Latvia.

Pierre Vincent's team beat Russia 57-53 in the final to erase memories of a disappointing eighth place finish in the 2007 edition and claim the title for a second time after glory in 2001.

Sandrine Gruda top scored for Les Blues with 12 points while Emmeline Ndongue weighed in with 11.

The pair gave France a lead as big as 19 points in the second half before Russia rallied to close the gap to four points in the final minute.

"We had nothing to lose going into this game," said Ndongue.

"We had already qualified for the World Championship and there was no pressure on us.

"(France coach) Vincent did everything to make us win. He gave every player a chance to be on the court and that gives you confidence."

For Valeriy Tikhonenko's Russia, Maria Stepanova topscored with 13 while Olga Arteshina added 12 and Becky Hammon scored nine.

Eurosport