By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The battle for the bronze medal of FIBA World Cup was a very physical one, with France rising to the podium with a 67-59 victory over Australia. France also clinched bronze at the 2014 edition of the tournament.
“For sure it’s very special, important. We did it after a difficult start. Many teams gave up but we stayed focused. We never know what would happen if we had a complete roster”, commented Vincent Collet.
Les Bleus erased a 15-point deficit to get ahead of the Boomers in the second half. Nando De Colo and Andrew Albicy played a key role in this comeback and led Vincent Collet’s squad in the final period when the game was on a thread. De Colo finished as the top scorer for the French with 19 points, while three decisive buckets of Albicy (9 points) down the stretch gave the team a safety net with only a couple minutes to go.
“What we did this summer is really great because we have a new group of guys. We need to build on that. What we did in the past is great too, but now we need to think about what we did this summer and get ready for next summer”, De Colo mentioned following the game.
Australia finishes its World Cup run with its best position to date (previous best was 5th at the 1982 edition). Joe Ingles was the Boomers’ leader with 17 points, complemented by a 15-point performance of Patty Mills.
Photo credit: FIBA.basketball