France wrapped up their disappointing FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 campaign with a hard-fought 87-77 win against Cote d’Ivoire.
France started the second half strong with a 10-0 run, led by Nando de Colo’s 5 points and 2 assists, giving them a 9-point lead.
However, Solo Diabete led Cote d’Ivoire’s comeback, making the fourth quarter exciting.
Nicolas Batum, Isaia Cordiner, and Rudy Gobert took turns scoring inside to maintain France’s 78-75 lead.
De Colo once again delivered a crucial basket, extending France’s lead to eight points with 1 minute and 23 seconds remaining.
Isaia Cordinier had a standout performance in his starting role, notching 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 6-of-8 shooting, with France holding a notable +28 point differential when he was on the court.
Rudy Gobert finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Solo Diabate recorded Cote d’Ivoire’s second double-double of the World Cup with 13 points and 11 assists, many of which came during the close moments of the second half.
“It was a tough last game,” said Vincent Collet, France’s head coach. “I think we did better against Iran. Today it was a little bit difficult to start defensively.
“First half was weak on defense, we let them drive and attack the basket when we knew it was their main strength. We finally started the third quarter well, went down again and finished the right way to win the game.”
Watch the game highlights between Cote d’Ivoire and France in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
