The French won the bronze medal at the World Basketball Championship beating Australia, 67 to 59, Sunday, September 15 in Beijing, their second in history after that of 2014 in Spain.
The Blues have returned the situation after being led by 15 points in the third quarter. This is their seventh podium in international competition in the twenty-first century.
Congratulations @FRABasketball 🇫🇷. #FranceGotGame #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/eIJUEEYxQG
Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) September 15, 2019Manhandled for 25 minutes by very physical Australians, the French have managed to turn the situation, thanks to Andrew Albicy (9 points), decisive long distance, and a Nicolas Batum found (9 points and 6 assists), after a semi-final difficult for him against Argentina.
Leaders Nando de Colo (19 points) and Evan Fournier (16 points) also contributed significantly to the return of the Blues to Beijing in the second half, yet dominated 30-11 at the break.
Clumsy Frenchmen in the first half
Things were not well embarked for the French, defective shooting (25% at half-time) and imprecise in their offensive game (9 ball losses after 20 minutes).
Marked by a historic success against the United States in the quarterfinals and the qualification for the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo, this Chinese adventure marked the advent of a new generation, like the very promising leader Franck Ntilikina ( New York Knicks).
Australia, which narrowly dominated the French in the second round (100-98) last Monday, still fails at the foot of the podium after having already finished fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Argentina, victorious of the Blues in the semifinals (80-66), faces Spain in the final Sunday in Beijing (14 pm, French time).
With AFP