France U20 team escapes collapse against Croatia in quarterfinal
France, the tournament favorite, overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Croatia 76-66 in overtime. They will face Slovenia in the semifinals.
The French U20 basketball team, considered the main favorite of the championship, faced serious challenges in the quarterfinals. In the round of 16, they narrowly defeated Poland 90-79, with Poland leading 66-63 at the start of the final quarter. The quarterfinal against Croatia was even more dramatic: Croatia led 56-46 in the last period, but France rallied and dominated overtime 15-5 to win 76-66.
France's tall players Moamed Diakité (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Moamed Sanhé (18 points, 11 rebounds) stood out, with plus-minus ratings of +14 and +19 respectively. The most efficient player was Dijon guard Thomas Odrī with +24. For Croatia, Dino Subašić took on much of the offensive load, scoring 16 points (2 of 5 two-pointers, 4 of 12 three-pointers).
In the semifinals, France will face Slovenia, which defeated Turkey 90-72 in the quarterfinals. Slovenia's Urban Kroflič scored 26 points (4/6 2PT, 4/9 3PT, 6/6 FT) along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. In other quarterfinal games, Germany (who beat Latvia in the round of 16) lost 69-88 to Spain, and Serbia crushed Greece 92-66. Serbia's Mitar Bošnjaković posted 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. The semifinals are scheduled for July 18: Slovenia vs France at 19:30, Spain vs Serbia at 22:00.
