By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Dominican Republic and France played the last game of FIBA World Cup First Round and the latter logged a 90-56 win in Group G. France will go to the Second Round with a 3-0 record while Dominicana will follow with 2-1.
Nando De Colo led the way with 15 points followed by Rudy Gobert’s 13 and Mathias Lessort’s 11 points. Gobert also grabbed eight rebounds.
“We had a really good game tonight because we really respected the opponent and respected what the coaching staff wanted on the court. We put a lot of aggressiveness into our game. We knew before the game that it would not be easy. But that we could make this game easier for us. We played a serious game. We showed how we can play aggressive defense and get the rhythm on offense”, De Colo said.
Victor Liz with 12 points was the only double-digit scorer for the Dominican Republic. Sadiel Rojas added eight and Eulis Baez six points.
France got the job done in the first half during which they shot 55% from the field. They led 18-8 after ten minutes and 43-21 at the break.
“It was a tough game for us because we came out in the game and were trying to execute our game plan and France scouted us well. They knew our systems, and they were on top of everything and we didn’t react well to that. So we started off the game a little bad and we couldn’t get back into the game after that. I feel like that was the problem. They scouted us well and we were not ready to have such big guys on top of our plays as well as they were. But the most important thing is to keep fighting and enjoy. We’re going to the top 16 and have two more games”, Rojas noted.
Dominicans put on a fight in the second half but they couldn’t do anything against the tough French defense. France kept increasing the lead to as much as 38 points (88-50) and secured the win.
Game Highlights:
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL