France concluded their disappointing run in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 with a hard-fought 87-77 victory over Cote d’Ivoire.
The French team launched a strong start to the second half, embarking on a 10-0 run propelled by Nando de Colo’s 5 points and 2 assists, granting them a 9-point advantage.
Nonetheless, Solo Diabete led a spirited Cote d’Ivoire comeback, injecting excitement into the fourth quarter.
Nicolas Batum, Isaia Cordiner, and Rudy Gobert took turns contributing points in the paint, ensuring that France retained their 78-75 lead.
De Colo once again came through with a pivotal basket, extending France’s lead to eight points with only 1 minute and 23 seconds remaining.
Isaia Cordinier delivered an outstanding performance in his starting role, amassing 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 6-of-8 from the field.
Notably, France enjoyed a substantial +28-point advantage when he was on the court.
Rudy Gobert closed the game with 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Solo Diabate secured Cote d’Ivoire’s second double-double of the World Cup with 13 points and 11 assists, many of which were crucial during the tense moments of the second half.
“It might be a bit late now to fix the problem on defense,” Isaia Cordinier said. “We have one more year until the Olympics to work on it. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and get back to our standards.”
Check out Isaia Cordinier’s TCL Player Of The Game highlights during the Cote d’Ivoire and France game at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
