France rally from 13 down to beat Canada, set up Semi-Final clash with USA

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - France came back from a 13-point first-half deficit to beat Canada, 68-63, on Tuesday night and advance to the Semi-Finals of the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament.

Les Bleues, silver medalists four years ago in London, will face five-time defending champions USA on Thursday for a chance to reach the Gold Medal Game.

Canada got off to a hot start and held a 29-13 lead early in the second quarter. France then reeled off 12 unanswered points to get within 29-28 before the Americas champions used a late burst to take a 37-32 lead into halftime.

France scored the first six points of the third quarter to edge in front, 38-37, for their first lead since the game's opening basket. The teams went back and forth the rest of that period and were tied at 50 heading in to the final frame.

Marine Johannes went on a personal 6-0 run to give France a 58-52 cushion with 6:28 to go. Canada got within 60-59 on Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe's free-throw with 1:58 remaining but that is as close as they got as France made big plays and free-throws down the stretch. 

Turning Point: With 39.3 seconds to go, Sandrine Gruda fed a cutting Gaelle Skrela who scored in the paint for a 64-59 advantage. With time running out, Canada had no choice but to foul in order to stop the clock. France's Olivia Epoupa made 3-of-6 free-throws while Skrela went 1-of-2 from the foul line and it was enough to come out on top. 

Stats Don't Lie: After scoring 25 points in the first quarter, Canada only had 38 the rest of the way and were outscored 16-12, 18-13 and 18-13 in the last three quarters. Their shooting touch deserted them after the opening 10 minutes as they finished on 19-of-53 from the field (36 percent). Kia Nurse had a night to forget, going 3-of-16. 

Hero: Gruda led by example and kept her team-mates calm and poised when they were down double digits. It also helped that she finished with team-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds.  

The Bottom Line: Despite being without veteran leader and playmaker Celine Dumerc, France have done incredibly well to reach the Semi-Finals. They do however have their work cut out if they are to prevent the USA from continuing their run for a sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal. 

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