Germany advance as France miss quarters for first time in 20 years

ISTANBUL (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - France missed out on a Quarter-Final berth for the first time in 20 years after a heartbreaking 84-81 loss to Germany in the Round of 16.

With the game tight throughout, Germany got hot from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter to gain a buffer but a heroic performance from Evan Fournier (18 of his 27 points coming in the fourth quarter) kept France alive. However, Germany hung on with Nando de Colo missing a game-tying three pointer on the buzzer.

Germany will meet the winner of Spain and Turkey in their first Quarter-Final in 10 years.  

Turning point: The game was an arm-wrestle throughout with both teams cold from deep. However, Germany got hot in the last quarter hitting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, including key back-to-back triples midway through the period from Daniel Theis and Robin Benzing to regain Germany's lead - one they would not relinquish. 

Stats-don't-lie: Germany was a woeful 3-of-20 from deep in the opening three quarters before coming alive in the last connecting on 6-of-8. That hot shooting was enough to overcome Fournier's late heroics. 

Game hero: Daniel Theis was electric for Germany with 22 points, 7 rebounds and clutch shooting. His brutal dunk on France captain Boris Diaw in the third quarter was a highlight play but, more importantly, inspired his team. 

They said: "We played as a team for 40 minutes. We attacked the basket more and knocked down open shots. We played fast. We got the win and are happy. It was nice (the dunk on Diaw). Maybe it gave us a push as a team" - Daniel Theis 

Highlights

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