France are now just one win away from a historic FIBA Women’s World Cup title after delivering a commanding 86-64 victory over Germany in Berlin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
France controlled the semi-final from start to finish, edging the opening quarter and widening the gap in every period thereafter. With this result, France advance to the final, standing on the brink of a milestone triumph. For Germany, the dream of gold ends here, but they will have to regroup quickly and fight for the bronze medal in their final game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key swing in this game came with 37 seconds left in the first quarter, when Marie Guelich knocked down a turnaround jump shot to give Germany their only lead at 22-23 after France had held a slim advantage. But that was as good as it got for Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 1:05 left in the first quarter to 6:41 remaining in the second, France responded with a decisive 12-5 run. During this stretch, France shot 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and committed no turnovers. Germany managed just 5 points and turned the ball over twice as France reclaimed control, building a 34-26 lead and never looking back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabby Williams put on a show for France, leading all scorers with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in 31:19 of action. She posted a game-high efficiency rating of 31 and a +17 plus\/minus, shooting an ultra-efficient 8-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-7 from two and 4-of-5 from the line. Williams committed no turnovers and picked up no fouls, answering every German push and setting the tone on both ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Janelle Salaun delivered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 27:06, connecting on 5-of-8 from the field. She finished with a 23 efficiency and a game-best +23 plus\/minus, anchoring France on the glass and providing a steady scoring presence. Marine Johannes added 13 points, while Valeriane Ayayi chipped in 10 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other side, Marie Guelich led Germany with 12 points and 10 rebounds, posting a 19 efficiency in a losing effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France\u2019s most significant run came late in the final quarter, when they unleashed a 12-0 surge from 4:06 to 1:00 remaining, stretching their lead from 74-64 to 86-64 and putting the game to bed. Marine Johannes contributed 6 points on perfect shooting and grabbed a rebound during this stretch, while Dominique Malonga added 4 points from the line, a rebound, and a block to help seal the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA are now just one win away from the World Cup title after a gritty win over Spain, 66-76. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Americans controlled most of the Semi-Finals contest, building a lead after the opening quarter and responding with poise when Spain threatened late in the third. With this result, USA advance to the Final of the FIBA Women’s World Cup, standing on the brink of a historic championship. For Spain, the dream of gold ends here, but they will need to regroup quickly as they fight for the bronze medal in their final game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisive moment arrived late in the third quarter. With 53 seconds remaining, Iyana Martin calmly knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 58-58, erasing USA\u2019s earlier advantage. But that deadlock was short-lived. Early in the final quarter, with 9:22 left, Kahleah Copper capitalized on a turnover and finished a driving layup to put USA back in front, 58-60.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the 1:12 mark in the third quarter to 5:20 in the fourth, Spain managed just one field goal on six attempts and committed four turnovers. During that same stretch, USA added 14 points and turned the ball over only once. That run created the separation the Americans needed to put this game to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breanna Stewart anchored USA\u2019s effort with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 29:01 of action. The forward added 1 steal, 1 block, and committed just 1 turnover, shooting an efficient 4-of-6 from the field and 8-of-11 from the line. Stewart finished with a +7 plus\/minus and a 20 efficiency rating, providing steady production when it mattered most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other side, Iyana Martin stood out for Spain, pouring in 17 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing 3 assists, and collecting 3 steals in 23:44. The guard shot 5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-6 from the line, posting a 19 efficiency and a +6 plus\/minus. Jackie Young contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals for USA, while Kahleah Copper added 13 points, including the key layup to break the tie early in the fourth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s largest run came late in the final quarter, when they outscored Spain 0-8 over just more than two minutes, turning a narrow 62-60 lead into a commanding 62-70 advantage. Stewart scored 4 points in that burst, all from the free-throw line, helping to ice the game down the stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain\u2019s largest lead was 8 points at 9-1 with 7:48 left in the opening quarter. USA\u2019s biggest advantage came late, stretching the margin to 12 points at 64-76 with 1:21 remaining in the final quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain led in the early minutes, but USA built their decisive margin late and never looked back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France are now just one win away from a historic FIBA Women’s World Cup title after delivering a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15697,"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-15696","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