After easing past China in the quarter-finals, France have made the top four of the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the maiden edition, way back in 1953. It was seventh time lucky after losing their previous six World Cup quarter-finals matchups. Now they are looking to write history by making the title game for the very first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany are also set to break more new ground. Having appeared in the quarter-Finals for the first time, they will now sample the Women’s World Cup semi-finals. Another huge crowd inside Berlin Arena will see if the hosts can make it five wins in a row and follow up their outstanding victory against European champions, Belgium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The winner of this game will face the winner of USA v Spain in the Final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After their record-breaking performance against Hungary in the quarter-finals, USA land in top four of the competition for the 13th time in a row. This will be an 11th straight semi-finals appearance, having never missed out since 1986 when they were introduced. USA are looking to secure a ticket to their fifth straight Final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain are back in the semi-finals having played at this stage three editions in a row from 2010 to 2018. They faced USA at this stage of the competition in 2010 and are looking to make the Final for the second time, having finisher runner-up in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France delivered a blowout win over China, 61-90, at Berlin Arena. France led for 35 minutes and 41 seconds, never trailing after the late stages of the opening quarter, and methodically turned a five-point first-period edge into a commanding 29-point victory. With this result, France advance to the Semi-Final Round and will now play for a place on the podium-or even better, to seize the trophy. For China, this defeat ends their title hopes in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisive moment arrived late in the first quarter. With 2:37 left, Marine Johannes attacked the rim and converted a layup to tie the score at 20-20, erasing China’s final lead of the game. From the 3:07 mark in the first quarter to 7:04 remaining in the second, France outscored China 6-16, fueled by four made three-pointers and just a single turnover. By the end of that stretch, France had built a double-digit cushion at 23-34 and never looked back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France\u2019s biggest run came late in the third quarter, when they reeled off an 0-11 burst from 4:23 to 1:28, stretching the lead from 41-57 to 41-68. Johannes spearheaded this surge, scoring 6 points on perfect shooting during the span. China\u2019s most significant run was a 7-0 response in the first quarter from 5:42 to 4:50, turning a 14-7 deficit into a 14-14 tie, with Xu Han contributing 5 points and 1 rebound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany delivered a dominant win over Belgium, 74-93, in Berlin to book their semi-final place. Germany led after every quarter, steadily building on a three-point edge from the first period and ultimately stretching the margin to 19 points by the final buzzer. With this result, Germany advance to the Semi-Final Round and will now play for a spot on the podium-or even better, to seize the trophy-while Belgium bow out of title contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisive moment arrived with 0:51 left in the first quarter, when Frieda Buhner knocked down a floating jump shot to put Germany ahead 19-20 after Belgium had briefly led 19-18. That basket sparked a momentum shift. From 1:02 remaining in the first quarter to 8:23 in the second, Germany outscored Belgium 2-11. Germany connected on all four of their shots in that span, including one three-pointer, while Belgium went just 1-of-8 from the field. The result: a 19-29 gap that put Germany firmly in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany\u2019s most significant run was an 11-0 surge spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, turning a 19-18 deficit into a 19-29 lead. Sabally led the way during this stretch, scoring 4 points on perfect shooting, grabbing 3 rebounds, and knocking down 2 free throws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Belgium\u2019s biggest run came in the second quarter, when they strung together a 7-0 burst to trim the deficit from 27-36 to 34-36. Julie Allemand contributed 3 points and 1 rebound during this sequence, giving Belgium a brief lifeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Napheesa Collier set the tone with 19 points in just over 15 minutes as USA delivered a blowout win over Hungary, cruising to a 108-56 result that was never in doubt after the opening minutes. The Americans seized control early, building a 36-12 lead after the first quarter and extending the margin in every period. With this result, USA advance to the Semi-Final Round of the FIBA Women’s World Cup and will now play for a place on the podium-or perhaps even more. For Hungary, this defeat ends their title hopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only lead change of the game came with 8:44 left in the opening quarter, when Nina Aho knocked down a three-pointer to put Hungary ahead 3-2. That was the lone moment Hungary led all night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 8:44 to 7:13 remaining in the first quarter, USA answered with a 7-3 spurt on 3-of-4 shooting, moving in front 9-3 and setting the direction for the rest of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collier was the primary game hero for USA, finishing with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block in just 15:26 of action. She posted a game-high efficiency of 23 and a +35 plus\/minus, shooting 9-of-13 from the field-including 8-of-11 from two and 1-of-2 from deep-without committing a single turnover or foul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s biggest run came in the opening quarter, when they unleashed a 15-0 surge over 2:30, turning a 13-9 lead into a commanding 28-9 advantage. Aliyah Boston fueled the momentum with 6 points on 2-of-2 shooting during this stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain delivered a commanding 66-89 victory over Australia to secure their place in the semi-final. Spain built a double-digit lead by halftime and never relinquished control, putting themselves one step away from the podium and keeping their championship hopes alive. With this result, Australia are eliminated from title contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisive moment arrived late in the first quarter. With 4:11 left, Isobel Borlase tied the game at 15-15 from the line, but Alicia Florez answered with a layup at 3:56 to put Spain back in front, 15-17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 4:43 to 0:53 in the opening quarter, Spain overwhelmed Australia with a 4-19 run. During this stretch, Spain knocked down 7-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from deep, and committed no turnovers. Meanwhile, Australia managed just one field goal and turned it over three times. That run put Spain firmly in the driver\u2019s seat.RUNS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spain\u2019s biggest run came late in the first quarter, when they outscored Australia 0-16 from 15-15 to 15-31 over a span of just over three minutes. Alicia Florez led the surge with 6 points on perfect shooting and added a rebound, helping Spain seize control early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australia\u2019s most significant run was a 7-0 burst early in the final quarter, narrowing the gap from 53-74 to 60-74. Alex Wilson contributed 3 points during this stretch, providing a brief spark for Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After easing past China in the quarter-finals, France have made the top four of the Women’s World Cup<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[52],"class_list":["post-15612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-basketball"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t