Paris (AFP)

The French women's basketball team ended its preparatory campaign for Euro-2021 (June 17-27) with a sixth success, against Sweden 71-51 on Saturday in Mulhouse, a match in which Sandrine Gruda became the best scorer in the history of the Blue, overtaking Isabelle Fijalkowski.

As in the match won the day before against these same Swedes (77-61), the French were intractable and signed a sixth victory in as many preparation matches.

With two successes against Spain, double reigning European champion (2017, 2019), then two more against Italy and finally Sweden, the French have been full of confidence before the Euro, where they will leave in search of a third European title, after the coronations of 2001 and 2009.

Valérie Garnier's players were initially scheduled to face the Turks this week, but they experienced authorization problems linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and were unable to compete with Sweden and France in Mulhouse.

Already the best scorer in the first confrontation against Sweden on Friday, the inside Sandrine Gruda, 33, entered the history of French women's basketball by improving the mark of 2,567 points of the pivot Isabelle Fijalkowski to bring it to 2,578.

For her 197th selection, Gruda had only three points to score to get ahead of Fijalkowski (European champion in 2001, quarter-finalist at the Sydney Games in 2000), which she did from the first minutes of the match with a two-point basket, then a new two-point basket with a free throw.

Top scorer of the meeting, as in the first meeting against the Swedes the day before, Gruda scored 13 points in total, followed by Valériane Vukosavljevic and Marine Johannes, 11 points each.

"I want to thank my teammates because without them I could not have been the best scorer of all time. It touches me and it makes me very happy. I want to serve as an example to the young generation who are arriving. pushed open a door. It is up to them to do even better "declared the interior in front of the audience after the match.

Her young teammate, Tima Pouye, 22, had already received the message by scoring her first points in blue (7).

After this last match, the French, vice-champions of Europe in the last four editions, will start a final training camp on June 11 in Strasbourg, before starting their group stage of the Euro against Croatia, June 17.

They will then face the Czech Republic on June 18 and Russia on June 20.

The Euro will end in Valencia, Spain.

© 2021 AFP