France win 5th Women’s Series in impressive fashion, eyes set on FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup

DEBRECEN (Hungary) - France continued their domination in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series and showed the world they are ready for the upcoming Europe Cup.

In a classic battle with Spain in the Finals, they beat their European rivals 16-9, on their way to collecting their fifth FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series event of the inaugural season.

Just three days before the start of the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2019, some of the best European countries were assembled in Debrecen, the 3x3 capital of Hungary, for the 11th stop of the Women’s Series. 

From the the first game of the event, it was clear that Spain and France meant business. Both went undefeated in pool play on Day 1 to earn a direct spot in the semi finals. It wasn’t easy like Sunday morning though. In pool A, France needed a 2-point buzzer beater from Laetitia Guapo with 2 seconds left to hold off the crowd favorites and rival Hungary, 15-14. Spain needed every bucket to hold off the likes of Belarus and Ukraine in pool B.

After Ukraine and Hungary won their quarter-final games, the stage was set for a high level semi finals. Hungary, France and Spain were amongst the top 5 at the World Cup 2019.

The taste of the World Cup quarter-final loss still didn’t sit well with Spain when they squared off against Hungary in a classic battle. Spain jumped out to an early 9-3 lead. Led by the event top scorer Cyesha Goree, Hungary (33 total points scored), Hungary fought their way back. The energy from the sellout crowd brought them within striking distance of Spain. But eventually, Spain pulled away in the final two minutes of the game: 21-15.

 
France had little trouble with Ukraine in their semi final game, setting up a Finals showdown between France and Spain. If Spain had any ambition to challenge France’s dominance in the Women’s Series, Les Bleues squashed that real quick. France jumped out to a quick lead, and never looked back on their way of winning their 5th Women Series event.

Debrecen Standings
1. France
2. Spain
3. Hungary
4. Ukraine
5. Belarus
6. Switzerland
7. Italy
8. Romania

In the overall standings, France separated themselves even further from the competition with their 670 points. Spain jumped to 5th place in the standings with 345, sneaking up on #4 China.