FRA - Daily review (Day 5)

TOULOUSE/RODEZ (2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women) – France beat Canada 81-60 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, much to the delight of a roaring crowd in Rodez.

With the win – their third in a row – the hosts finished with a 3-2 mark in Group A, good enough for second place behind the undefeated USA (5-0).

The teams were evenly matched early on and the score was tied at 22 to end the first quarter.

The French then gradually pulled away thanks to good and patient team work. Conversely, Canada struggled offensively as tournament scoring leader Nirra Fields failed to get much help from her team-mates.

France were up 39-35 at the break and kept adding to their lead the rest of the way as they outscored the visitors 42-25 in the last two periods.

Christelle Diello had 24 points and nine rebounds in the winning cause.

Despite having already secured their place in the last eight, the USA did not use their final Group A game against Japan to rest up and instead showed little mercy as they crushed their opponents 133-71.

The result saw Barbara Nelson’s charges finish the Preliminary Round with a perfect record.

The Americans scored the game’s first nine points and were ahead 35-12 by the end of the first quarter, with Breanna Stewart scoring 13 points in that period alone. She went on to finish with 30 and added seven rebounds as well as three blocks.

The Japanese trailed 61-27 at the break and 98-60 to start the final frame. Their strategy of relying on three-point shooting – they attempted 39 – did not pay off as they converted only 10.

Meanwhile, Belgium got the better of Australia 67-61 to top Group B with a 4-1 mark.

The two teams – who had already qualified for the quarter-finals – came out with different approaches: Australia did their scoring inside while Belgium fired away from the perimeter, a strategy that worked to great effect as they led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter. Heleen Adams had the hot hand with 11 points in the first 10 minutes.

The Aussies fought back in the second period to edge in front 32-31 at the break.

There was nothing to separate the two teams after the intermission as they traded the lead and were tied midway through the third period.

Belgium took a 51-48 advantage into the final frame and Australia eventually succumbed.

China proved too strong for Spain, beating them 77-58 in the last game of Group B Preliminary Round action at the Palais des Sports in Toulouse.

Both teams had already qualified for the quarter-finals and this game helped determine the final order in the group.

China finished with a 4-1 mark, good enough for second place behind Belgium, the team that beat them. The loss saw Spain drop to 2-3 and in fourth place behind Australia.

Meng Li helped China to a 13-2 lead four minutes into the game. Victor Lapena’s girls were running their offense to great effect but could not make their shots.

Elena de Alfredo’s three-pointer beat the first quarter buzzer for a 23-9 score and it started a comeback by the Spaniards, but China kept them at arm’s length thanks to their better finishing.

Yurena Diaz scored five quick points to cut the deficit to 12, 39-27, at the break.

In the third quarter, Spain made a run to get within six, 46-40, but that was the closest they got as China force-fed the ball down low and made good on high-percentage shots.

Wang Guizhi’s team took a 56-44 lead into the final quarter and Spain tired out.

In other games, Turkey beat Russia 64-51 but came up three points short of the winning margin they needed to move on to the next round.

Hasan Firaet Okul’s team had to win by at least 16 points to secure their place among the last eight playing in Toulouse on Friday. Having fallen short of that total, they will stay in Rodez for the Classification Round.

Russia advance to the last eight despite a forgettable performance. They trailed 16-7 at the end of the first quarter before fighting back to tie the game at 30 all early in the second half.

Turkey then reasserted their authority and opened the final period with a double-digit lead, 41-31. Russia got their offense going late on by which stage, the game’s outcome had already been determined.

Argentina finished their Group B campaign on a positive note, beating Mali 75-49, but it was too little too late as they missed out on a place in the quarter-finals.

Argentina finished with a 2-3 mark and Mali 0-5 as they finished fifth and sixth respectively in Group B. The two teams will join Canada and Turkey in Rodez for the Classification Round,

FIBA/LOC