France defeated Germany 73-69 on Thursday to advance to the final of the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics men’s basketball tournament.
France, which lost to Germany in the group stage, managed to tame their opponent in an emphatic victory in front of their home fans in the Bercy Arena in Paris, France.
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The semifinal clash saw Germany’s dominance in the first quarter come to an end, 25-18, after falling 8-15 in the second quarter to tie 33-33 by half-time.
France increased their momentum in the third quarter, extending their lead to 56-50 and maintaining the lead to secure their second Olympic final in a row.
France’s Guerschon Yabusele had a great performance for the second game in a row. After scoring 22 points against Canada in the quarterfinal, the Real Madrid forward collected 17 points on 7-for-11 scoring and 7 rebounds.
Isaia Cordinier, who pushed France in the first quarter with 11 points in his tally, finished the match with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, had 11 points on inefficient 4-for-17 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.
Dennis Schroder was the only player on the German roster with a double-digit scoring total for more than 39 minutes, collecting 17 points on just 6-for-17 shooting (3/7 2PT, 3/10 3PT).
Franz Wagner scored 7 points in the first quarter but didn’t manage to score a single point throughout the next almost three quarters, scoring his first points since the first quarter when only 38 were remaining on the clock. He finished the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
