FRA - Selection headache for Bergeaud

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STRASBOURG (FIBA World Championship) - France coach Claude Bergeaud praised his players for an excellent defensive display as they thrashed Senegal 95-58 in the opening match of the Strasbourg international tournament on Friday.

Continuing their warm-up for the FIBA World Championship in August, Bergeaud's men made a slow start in high temperatures at Strasbourg's Rhenus Arena, and trailed 25-22 at the end of the first quarter.

However, they slowly got going in the second stanza and took a 41-37 lead into the locker rooms.

They then found their rhythm after the break, and moved into a 16-point lead.

In the final quarter, they scored 12 points in three minutes to end the game as a contest.

"The French team's strength has always been defence and once again this evening we showed how solid we were in that area," Bergeaud said.

Saturday will be another story for France as they face Lithuania, who won three Olympic medals between 1992 and 2000 before winning the EuroBasket 2003 in Sweden.

"Tomorrow night we will have to be as good in attack as we were this evening in the last 20 minutes of the match," added Bergeaud.

"Their athletes are tall and strong physically and will put us in continuous danger.

"They are also solid in the side and their centers communicate well.

"It will be a real test of the level we expect to encounter at FIBA World Championship."

Bergeaud also singled out Ronny Turiaf for praise. The Los Angeles Lakers player is not certain of his place in Bergeaud's final 12-man squad to go to Japan, but boosted his cause with a strong display.

"As everyone saw, Ronny has showed a lot of enthusiasm and determination this evening," the coach said.

Earlier on Friday, Lithuania beat China 96-75 to open the tournament.

Antanas Sireika's side dominated the game from start to finish with center Ksystof Lavrinovic and promising youngster Linas Kleiza scoring 19 and 18 points respectively.

Les Bleus, who beat Switzerland in a friendly earlier this week, will now face 2003 European champions Lithuania on Saturday and China on Sunday.

Saturday's other match will see China face Senegal.

Isabelle Rondeau
PA Sport, Strasbourg