CZE - Alarm bells not ringing after loss to French

VILLEURBANNE (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women) - This is no time to panic for Czech Republic coach Lubor Blazek, whose side lost 76-57 to France on Thursday night.

Final scores can be deceiving, and this one certainly was because for most of the game the teams were neck and neck.

Both sides are gearing up for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women (OQTW), which starts on 25 June in Ankara, Turkey.

"I don't think that this game was bad on our part," said Blazek, who steered the Czechs to a silver medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women and a fourth place finish at last year's EuroBasket Women.

The French beat the Czechs in the Bronze Meda Game in Poland last summer.

"From the start, there was a marked difference in fouls," Blazek said.

"At one point, we had 12 fouls and the French one.

"Yet we kept up with the home team for three quarters.”

In fact, the Czechs were within striking distance for 35 minutes before Les Bleues turned on the afterburners and closed the game on a 13-2 run.

"Even in the last quarter at one stage, we were trailing by only two points but then their lead grew,” Blazek said.

"We did not play a bad game, and we played with a large rotation of players."

Eleven Czechs played against France.

"The game was decided in the last four minutes."

Ilona Burgrova, Czech fans will be relieved to see, played almost 25 minutes and had 13 points and five rebounds.

The center tore ankle ligaments in early February and missed the rest of the season with USK Prague but she appears to be in fine fettle again.

Isabelle Yacoubou had 18 points to lead France, with Sandrine Gruda added 15 and a game-high 12 rebounds.

France and the Czech Republic will play at the OQTW in Ankara, Turkey.

The 12-team event, where five places for the London Games are up for grabs, gets underway on 25 June.

The Czechs will play in Group B against New Zealand and Argentina while France will be in Group D against Mali and Canada.

FIBA