Johannes looking for France to sign off with bronze medal

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - It's not very often that a player gives the USA's defense a hard time in Rio, but that's just what France's rising star Marine Johannes did.

Even though the reigning Olympic champions beat France 86-67 in Thursday's Semi-Finals and Diana Taurasi sparked the Americans with a game-high 18 points, Johannes was the star of the game.

"I'll try my best to help my team win a medal."- Johannes

The 21-year-old came off the bench visibly unintimidated, crossing over whichever player was guarding her to send the Carioca Arena 1 crowd into a frenzy and, more importantly, hitting some timely shots for the French.

"We had nothing to lose," said the new signing of French league and EuroLeague Women side Tango Bourges Basket, who finished with 13 points and 2 assists.

Some even went as far as to compare the moves of the 1.77m guard to those of basketball legends.

But the answer that everyone wanted to hear was how she managed to stay so calm and confident against a star-studded team.

"They [the USA] are a great team and we entered the game to play the best way possible. I was nervous inside but I tried to stay calm," she explained. "It's always been a dream of mine to participate in a competition of this magnitude." 

Despite the loss to the USA, Les Bleues still have a chance of taking home a medal if they can beat Serbia in Saturday's Bronze Medal Game, in a re-match of the EuroBasket Women 2015 Final. 

"I didn't play that game [EuroBasket Women Final], but now that I have a chance, I'll try my best to help my team win a medal," Johannes said.

FIBA