France slip past Greece 64 – 56 to qualify for semi finals of FIBA EuroBasket - Part 2
France toiled hard to get back at the Greeks when the third quarter began. Coming out of the interval the French team looked determined to make a mark and Nando de Colo was particularly effective. However, Greece did not whimper
under the pressure and displayed some resolute qualities in nullifying any momentum that France looked t build.
The sides ended the third with the score at 40 – 43 and the match poised for a deciding fourth period.
When it mattered though, the veteran French team turned on the style. Tony Parker displayed his playmaking acumen as he picked the Greeks apart in the final quarter. Parker scored, and set others up, at will, as the Greek defence
simply fell apart. Nicolas Batum spotted up for some big shots and the whole shift in momentum demoralized the Greece team in the end.
France outscored the Greeks 24 to 13 in the penultimate quarter to walk away with the win. The final score read 64 – 56 and did not do justice to the Greeks who had been in the ascendancy for three quarters of the match.
In the end, France proved to be too good for Greece. They also had more options to go to with several players stepping up and were generally much more accurate from the floor. The French made 25 of 56 field goals attempted while
the Greeks were wasteful, making 17 of 50.
France Head Coach Vincent Collet said after the game that he was pleased with the win. The two sides had close encounters in the past and the coach was happy that his players kept fighting till the end and ultimately reaped the
rewards of their persistence.
"We are very happy to win this game because we have guaranteed a place in the Pre-Olympic tournament. This was our first goal. Very often in our past games against Greece, we had close games but they would beat us in the end. Today
it was our turn. We fought for 40 minutes, we struggled to come back but we managed to do it. We were very courageous and mentally very strong. “
France Forward Florent Pietrus was relieved after the game. He spoke highly of the Greeks and admitted that the French struggled to for most of the game. Pietrus was of the view that a slow start did not do any favours to his side
but was proud of the effort put in to secure the win.
“But at the end, we made the difference. They also deserved to win but we know that in basketball there is only one winner. I believe the key was that we were united for 40 minutes."
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