DENNIS Schroder found himself wide open behind the arc with less than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with France starting to break the game wide open in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball tournament
That was until Victor Wembanyama came out of nowhere and swatted away the shot, resulting in a wide open three pointer for the hosts on the other end, to get a buffer which proved to be crucial in the end game following a nailbiting 73-69 win over Germany inside a wild Bercy Arena in Paris.
Wembanyama’s block which led to Frank Ntilikina’s three pointer opened a 13 point lead, 66-53 and proved to be really critical as it was the embodiment of the French’s spirited fightback in the game.
The hosts found themselves in an early 10 point hole but slowly fought back and even opened a 13 point spread through that possession, a play which turned out to be really crucial as Germany came back behind Schroder, Franz Wagner and Andreas Obst.
The reigning world champions even got to within two, 71-69, with 9.4 seconds remaining following a Schroder split but Isia Cordinier – one of the hosts’ revelations in this tournament – calmly sank two free throws to ice the game for the hosts.
That possession turned out to be really crucial for the French as the Germans stormed back to within two, 71-69, with 9.4 seconds remaining following a Schroder split.
The win assured Les Bleus of matching at least their silver medal finish in Tokyo as they now wait for an expected showdown with the United States who’s taking on Serbia in the nightcap at the city of lights.
Guerschon Yabusele once again led France with 17 points and seven rebounds while Cordinier added 16 for the hosts who survived another rough night for Wembanyama offensively.
The 7’5 wunderkind finished with 11 points but only made four of his 17 shots in the field. His length on the defensive end, however, was invaluable as he secured three block shots and changed a whole lot more as France staged the fightback.
Schroder led the way for Germany with 18 points and four assists, and they could still continue their best run in the country’s basketball history by securing a bronze medal against the loser of the aforementioned USA and Serbia match.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
