France beat Germany 86-64 in Berlin on Saturday to reach the final of the Women's Basketball World Cup for the first time in the competition's history, seeing off the host nation in a semifinal that tightened in the middle quarters before the French pulled clear.
Gabby Williams was the outstanding player on the court, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. She set the tone in the first half alone, scoring 14 points as France built an early lead.
Germany rallies before France pulls away
Backed by a home crowd in Berlin, Germany stayed within reach for long stretches and twice cut the deficit to single digits with accurate three-point shooting. German guard Peterson capitalised on a French turnover with a basket from the corner at one point to pull Germany back under 10 points down, but France answered quickly.
France's defence clamped down in the third quarter, holding Germany to just 12 points and moving ahead 64-50. The lead swelled to 20 points before France closed out the win 86-64.
Guard Carla Leite hit a three-pointer, set up by Marine Johannès, to push the margin to 12 points. Centre Dominique Malonga then forced a turnover and scored from the free-throw line to stretch the lead to 14.
Balanced scoring across the roster
Four French players finished in double figures. Janelle Salaün recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and the team shot 50 percent from three-point range for the game. Malonga and Johannès both had quieter nights by their own standards until the final quarter.
Speaking to French broadcaster TMC after the game, head coach Jean-Aimé Toupane said his players had risen to the occasion and had shown it on the court. He said the team wanted to win the best possible medal, regardless of the opponent.
Route to the semifinal
France arrived at the World Cup, being held in Germany this year, on an unbeaten run, winning all three of their group games against Hungary, South Korea and Nigeria as expected. In the quarterfinals, they beat China 90-61, containing China's height advantage even as centre Han Xu, who stands 2.05 metres tall, scored 21 points.
Four different French players, Marine Johannès, Janelle Salaün, Gabby Williams and Leïla Lacan, all scored between 12 and 15 points in that quarterfinal win, a sign of the squad's depth through the tournament.
Germany, the tournament's host nation, had reached the semifinal by beating Belgium 93-74 in the quarterfinals on Thursday, a result that surprised many observers ahead of Saturday's meeting with France in Berlin.
What's next
France will play Sunday's final at 20:00 against the winner of the other semifinal between Spain and the United States. A meeting with the Americans, who beat France in the last Olympic final, remains possible depending on that result.
