Great Britain head coach Chema Buceta believes it was less about the result, more about the occasion as his side lost 63-56 to France in their maiden Women's EuroBasket semi-final.
Despite a strong start that yielded an 11-point lead early on against the favourites, they were slowly reeled in.
But never out of the picture, the deficit was as little as three points late in the fourth quarter as GB battled valiantly to the end.
And Buchta was left to reflect on the performance beyond the outcome as he prepares his side for a tilt at what would be a historic bronze medal on Sunday.
“We played the semi-final, and this is the big news,” he said.
“We came here to this tournament to do something and we are doing something. It was difficult to play against them as they are a tall team.
“It was difficult for us to attack, but France is France and GB is GB. Congratulations to France and we will be ready for the bronze medal game."
GB started the contest with hot hands, having beaten Hungary 62-59 in the quarter-finals to seal a place at next February’s World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Chantelle Handy’s smooth three put them 13-2 ahead of the London 2012 silver medallists and they led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter.
France showed their quality to fight back to within touching distance, going score-for-score with GB as the sides went in level at 34-34 come half-time.
The two-time champions turned the screw after the break, leading by as many as eight early in the fourth quarter, but GB refused to lie down, Jo Leedham dragging them back to within three.
Time was against them, however, as an experienced French outfit showed composure to see the game out and seal their fourth final on the spin.
Katie Samuelson, who had six assists and four rebounds in the game, added: "I am proud of our first-half and the whole game.
“They got a lot of offensive boards in the second-half and that takes its toll when you have to play defence, but I really love playing for this team."
Sportsbeat 2019