BERLIN — A dazzling exhibition of perimeter shooting has propelled France into the quarterfinals of the women’s FIBA World Cup, as the team decimated Nigeria with a record-setting 111-56 victory on Monday.
In a display of offensive clinicality, the French squad drained 22 three-pointers, officially eclipsing the previous record of 20, set just three days earlier by Japan in their tournament opener against Mali. France’s lethal efficiency was on full display throughout the contest, with the team finishing 22-for-40 from behind the arc.
Leading the barrage was Gabby Williams, who torched the Nigerian defense by hitting six of her eight attempts from long range. She was bolstered by the sharpshooting of Marine Johannes, who added five three-pointers of her own. The historic moment arrived with 5:45 remaining in the game when Migna Toure connected from deep, marking the team’s 21st triple of the afternoon to seal their place in the record books.
Despite the magnitude of the feat, the players remained focused on the broader team effort. “I didn’t know we broke the record; to me, it was just a corner three,” Toure said after the game.
The result continues a dominant trend for France, which appears to be carrying the momentum from their near-miss at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they famously fell to the United States by only a single point in the gold medal game. Through three preliminary round games in Berlin, the French team has looked nearly untouchable, maintaining an average margin of victory of 43 points.
“I think we are just happy about the way we are playing right now,” Johannes said. “We are shooting the ball and playing good defense so we can run the floor. I think we are pretty good when we push the ball.”
Beyond the perimeter fireworks, Williams credited the team’s success to their roster construction. She identified their bench depth as the critical differentiator in a high-stakes, physically demanding tournament. “Our depth is definitely going to be our strength,” Williams noted. “It’s physical, it’s tough, and it’s fatiguing. If we can put someone on the court for five minutes and they give their all, our intensity never drops. That’s going to be our goal.”
Having cruised through the preliminary stage, France now faces a few days of rest before the quarterfinals. The team is eyeing a historic milestone: reaching the medal round for the first time in 73 years. France’s only previous medal in World Cup history came in 1953, when they secured bronze under a round-robin format. With their current form and depth, they look poised to shatter that long-standing drought as the tournament heads into its final, high-stakes phase.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only.
Source: Read Original News
