By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
While the first half promised a spectacle, Canada turned the game completely one-sided in the second half. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they dominated France to secure a blow-out 95-65 win.
Oklahoma City Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander struggled a bit at the beginning of the match but turned up the heat in the second half, finishing the game with an impressive double-double of 27 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists for a PIR of 36.
Kelly Olynyk was also exceptional with 18 points, while Dillon Brooks and Nickeil Alexander-Walker followed them with 12 points each.
Shai pulling up from the logo like its nothing. 🥵#FIBAWC x #WinForCanada pic.twitter.com/246unQJHLt
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 25, 2023
Evan Fournier contributed 21 points (most in the first half) for France, while Mathias Lessort and Nando De Colo added 12 points each.
Interestingly, before today’s match, Canada had won just one of their 11 World Cup games in the preliminary round in the 21st century and were winless in their last 21 World Cup games against European sides. Oh, how the tables have turned.
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Led by Fournier, France grabbed an 18-14 lead with an 8-0 run in the final minutes of the first quarter and looked in control for most of the second period. However, Canada answered in the closing moments of the first half, turning the score around to take a 43-40 lead before the break. It seemed like there would be a great fight in the next 20 minutes, but Canada had different plans.
Shai’s Eurostep is too smooth 💯#FIBAWC x #WinForCanada pic.twitter.com/ZUeFVkZZYj
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 25, 2023
Vincent Collet’s team couldn’t cope with Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates, struggling to score and defend. Canada soon established a commanding 65-44 lead and didn’t stop there. With a 17-0 run midway through the final quarter, they secured an impressive 85-52 advantage, which they maintained until the closing moments. What a game by Canada, and what a surprisingly poor performance from the French National Team, considered one of the top favorites of the World Cup.
Photo: fiba.basketball