By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Guerschon Yabusele set a new individual record with 36 points, lifting France over Poland, 83-76, in Katowice’s Spodek Arena.
Before Tuesday’s game, Alex Sarr was officially ruled out for the remainder of EuroBasket 2025 due to a left calf injury. The 29-year-old forward of the New York Knicks in the NBA was included in necessary adjustments to cover limited options at the five position, but went well beyond with a new career-high in points behind 12/19 from the field, including six triples. Lasting nearly 36 minutes, he added six rebounds, two blocks, and two assists.
The team coached by Frederic Fauthoux went up by a margin of seven points in the first quarter and by nine in the second quarter, but the hosts responded to recover the lead on both occasions. A 9-0 run between the last two periods of the Gameday 4 affair, fueled by seven straight points delivered by Yabusele, built the first double-digit separation and eventually peaked at a 13-point lead. Resisting a late rally, Les Bleus held on for a key win.
Beyond Yabusele, Elie Okobo posted a 14-point, 10-assist double-double, and Jaylen Hoard threw in ten more points. On the wrong end, Jordan Loyd registered a team-high 18 points, with Mateusz Ponitka and Michal Sokolowski following with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Both sides were already qualified for the Round of 16 but sat at 3-1, tied with Israel on top of Group D, with one game left in the round-robin schedule. In Gameday 5 on Thursday, France and Poland face off with eliminated Iceland and Belgium, while Israel takes on Slovenia and Luka Doncic.
Photo Credit: FIBA