France beats China 90-61 to reach Women's Basketball World Cup semifinals

France defeats China in Berlin quarterfinal

The French women's national basketball team reached the semifinals of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup for the first time in team history on Thursday, defeating China 90-61 in Berlin. The victory at Uber Arena ended a streak of six consecutive quarterfinal eliminations for the French squad since 2002, as well as seven total quarterfinal losses at the tournament. France had previously lost to China 85-71 at the exact same stage during the 2022 World Cup in Sydney. Led by head coach Jean-Aimé Toupane, the Olympic silver medallists from Paris maintained a continuous high tempo and aggressive defence throughout the contest. France had not reached a World Cup podium since the inaugural tournament in 1953, which operated as a round-robin championship rather than a knockout bracket.

Team performance and offensive control

France opened a 25-20 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter before stretching the margin to 48-31 by halftime. China relied on 2.05-metre centre Han Xu, who recorded 21 points and 9 rebounds, while 2.23-metre centre Zhang Ziyu was largely contained. A sequence of three consecutive three-pointers near the end of the third period, including two from Marine Johannès off the bench, extended the French advantage to 68-41 by the 29th minute. Johannès concluded the game with 15 points and 7 assists, complementing Gabby Williams, who posted 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. France finished the contest shooting 14-of-37 from three-point range, controlling the game through bench depth.

American sports outlet The IX Sports described the shifting landscape of the international game ahead of the match.

Basketball has largely globalized, and the era when the best result a team could hope for was second place, behind the United States, is over. France can go far, particularly thanks to the experience gained by its players in recent years.

United States advances past Hungary

Earlier on Thursday, four-time defending champion the United States advanced to the semifinals with a 108-56 win against Hungary. The American squad established an immediate advantage, closing the first quarter ahead 36-12 and surpassing the 50-point mark by the 14th minute of play. Sonia Citron made a basket with just over five minutes remaining to carry the United States past 100 points, matching their offensive output from a 105-64 group-stage victory over the Czech Republic. Napheesa Collier led the United States with 19 points and 6 rebounds, while the team combined for 31 total assists. The knockout victory followed an earlier group test against Italy, where the Americans prevailed in a 55-52 contest.

Path to the medal rounds

The tournament, which began on 4 September in the German capital, moves to the final four on Saturday. France, Belgium, and the United States had entered the quarterfinal round as the tournament's three remaining undefeated teams. France had previously recorded a 111-56 victory over Nigeria on 7 September to maintain their unblemished record. In Saturday's semifinals, France is scheduled to play at 16:30 against the winner of the quarterfinal between host nation Germany and Belgium. The United States will play in the other semifinal on Saturday against the winner of the matchup between Spain and Australia.