The adventure of the Bleues at the World Cup in Australia ended in the quarterfinals this Thursday, September 29. French basketball players bowed (71-85) against China.
by (with AFP)
The walk was ultimately too high. The French women resisted well but ended up giving in against China (85-71), Thursday, September 29, in the quarterfinals of the World Basketball in Australia. More in mastery, stronger collectively and more offensive, the Chinese managed to keep the Bleues at a distance, which despite a good first quarter (25-25), underwent the repeated assaults of the Chinese in the first period. The French people had trouble keeping the pace imposed, notably by Meng Li and Sijing Huang (12 points each in half the match).
Leaded 50 to 39 at the break, the players of Jean-Aimé Toupane were well resumed at the start of the second period. They even returned to a small point from the Chinese four minutes from the end of the third quarter (56-57), with the possession to go to pass for the first time since the middle of the first quarter.
But Marine Faith (19 points, record of points in selection) missed the sights, like Gabby Williams (17 points), shortly after, for the shooting of equalization (58-60). China then took advantage of it to resume its distance from the end of the third quarter (66-58). The luck of the Blue had passed.
a team in reconstruction
Lack of physically attacking and tired solutions, the French ended up bending in the last quarter under the assaults of the players in white. While the failed baskets were linked, the Chinese women, they chained the three points to definitively take off (five of their players finished the match at more than ten points). They will leave favorites of their semi-final against Belgium or Australia.
Private, among others, of Marine Johannès and Sandrine Gruda, and in the midst of reconstruction after their bronze medal of the Tokyo Games in the summer of 2021, the French team failed for the sixth time in the doors of the last square of a World Cup. The Bleues will not imitate their elders of 1953, the last to have reached the semi-finals of the competition (and brought the only French medal, the bronze)
But the French have not deserved and leave this World Cup after an encouraging course. In chickens, they had beaten Japan (57-53), Olympic vice-champion, Australia (70-57), host country, and Mali (74-59). They bowed heavily against the Canadian (45-59) and little against the Serbs (62-28) on Tuesday. Their only real misstep, who then condemned them to rub shoulders with the Americans or the Chinese from the quarterfinals.