KATOWICE (Poland) - Guerschon Yabusele poured in 36 points, his personal scoring record in an official game with the French national team, in front of more than nine thousand Polish fans in Spodek Arena and France handed Poland their first defeat in the tournament, 83-76 on Tuesday.
Both teams, alongside Israel and Slovenia, have secured qualification for the Round of 16 but the French win throws the race for top spot in Group D wide open, and all will be decided on Thursday.
Turning Point
Yabusele's putback dunk with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter sparked a 27-8 French run which enabled Les Bleus to grab their largest lead of the game, 68-55 with 8:04 minutes to go in the final stanza.
Michal Sokolowski converted a three-point play in transition for Poland to reduce the deficit to 80-76 within the final two minutes of the contest, but Elie Okobo's stepback three with nine ticks on the clock put the game to rest.
TCL Player of the Game
Do you need a last-gasp defensive play? Guerschon is there for you. What about a clutch three-pointer? Guerschon will be there. Yabusele can do it all, and he proved it against Poland. The France captain stepped up on both ends of the floor, propelling his team to a crucial victory. The Knicks forward registered his national team career-high with 36 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
Yabusele also tied Herve Dubuisson and Tony Parker for the third-highest scoring performance by a French player in a EuroBasket game. His previous career-high in the competition? Back in 2022, in the Semi-Finals against Poland.
Stats Don't Lie
Despite not counting with the injured Alexandre Sarr, forced to miss the remainder of EuroBasket 2025, France crafted their win on the offensive boards, out-rebounding Poland 22-10.
That led to second-chance opportunities, where the winners prevailed 19-5. They also outscored Poland 21-13 in points off turnovers and 40-30 in points in the paint.
Bottom Line
France bounced back immediately after their loss to Israel, executing what others in Group D couldn't: beating the hosts Poland in front of a 9,262-strong crowd in Spodek Arena. These two and Israel are now all tied at 3-1 in the group standings and the final order in the group will be decided on September 4.
They Said
"We were back on our standards, and we showed it on the court. We can't underestimate this win, because they were playing very good basketball at home and with a lot of confidence. For us, it was important to approach the game the right way, and we stuck together. We had more chemistry and more communication: that's the right way." - France's Isaia Cordinier.
"We reacted pretty well. It was an intense game. They gave us a hard time tonight, but we were able to compete at a high level. We made fewer mistakes than the other day [against Israel]. We ended up getting a win, and that's what matters the most." - France's Elie Okobo.
"I believe we played a very solid game, France are a great team and they are one of the contenders to end up in the Top-4 of the EuroBasket. We fought well, we were really close all the time, and at least we didn't lose by more than 8 points. We are very happy about it." - Poland's Mateusz Ponitka.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA