USA and France Clinch Nail biters: FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women July 25 Roundup (Part 1)
USA 80 – 77 China
On Monday, USA secured a tight victory over their Asian rivals China in a thrilling Group E encounter. Kaleena Lewis led the charge for the three time defending champions by netting 19 points altogether, accompanied by a healthy
tally of 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Her main contribution came from behind the three point line, as she scored 15 points with an accuracy of 62.5 %.
Lewis was well supported by Bria Hartley, who scored 18 points along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Stefanie Dolson, who was playing at the centre position, also chipped in with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Jiayi Zuo, the Chinese point guard produced a valiant effort as she led her team with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. However, it was to no avail as only Jiamei Liang, with her 15 points and 7 rebounds, provided partial support
to Zuo.
The first two quarters of the game were evenly matched with USA leading by just 2 points at 34-32 at the break. However, team USA took total control in the third quarter and stretched their lead to 12 points. The Chinese, well
known for their fighting spirit, rallied right back into the game in the fourth quarter by reducing the 12 point lead to just 3 points. However, timely field goals by Hartley and Lewis ensured a fourth consecutive victory for the reigning champions.
Spain 55 – 57 France
The USA-China encounter was followed by another tense fixture, which saw the French side triumph over the Spanish. Small Forward, Adja Konteh, dominated the game on behalf of the French as she bucketed 15 points in the 36 minutes
that she spent on the court. However Adja also accounted for five turnovers. Clarince Djaldi-Tabdi also added 10 points to the French total and also clutched a handsome 10 rebounds.
For the losing Spanish side, it was Mariona Ortiz who stole the show with 21 points and 7 rebounds. She scored 20 points from the 2-point range, with an accuracy of almost 77%. However, there was hardly any contribution from the
rest of her teammates and Ortiz was the only player to reach double figures.
The match between the two European rivals proceeded at an even pace throughout and neither team had total control of the situation at any given point. By the end of the third quarter, the French only led by 1 point as the game
geared towards an exciting finish. The fourth quarter followed a similar pattern of play, with France just edging the Spanish by 16-15 and eventually ran out winners by a margin of two points.
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