France edges out Bosnia and Herzegovina to keep Lithuania's chances alive / News - Basketnews.com

France ended the match with a 13-3 run to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina and give Lithuania a chance to go to the next round.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

France (3-1) dominated in the last minutes of the fourth quarter and took down Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2) 81-68 (19-19, 25-15, 8-16, 29-18) to give Lithuania a chance to go through to the next round.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Thomas Heurtel Points 14 Accuracy 5-11 Rebounds 7 Assists 8

France held a comfortable 12-point lead in the third quarter (52-40) but the Bosnian were not ready to pack their bags just yet. They went on a 10-0 run to finish the quarter, and the game was alive again (50-52).

Jusuf Nurkic was leading the team at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and following his three-pointer, Bosnia and Herzegovina was leading by two (59-57). The teams battled back and forth but the French took the upper hand with 4 minutes to go (68-63).

Then, Evan Fournier took over. Several successful offensive possessions coupled with the defensive effort propelled the favorites forward.

Terry Tarpey's dunk, Thomas Heurtel's floater, Guerschon Yabusele's layup, and France were already up by 13 (78-65). Heurtel converted a free throw for a technical foul and the game was decided. Overall, France finished the game win a 13-3 run.

With a win against France, Bosnia and Herzegovina could have closed the window for Lithuania to go to the next round. The Lithuanians lost their first three matches of the tournament and would have had to go home early. After France's victory, they hold their fate in their own hands.

Lithuania has to win its two remaining matches against Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance to the next round.

Guerschon Yabusele led the French with 15 points on 7-for-15 shooting, while also grabbing 5 rebounds and getting 2 steals. Evan Fournier and Thomas Heurtel added 14 points each.

Three players scored 14 points each on the Bosnian roster - Jusuf Nurkic, Dzanan Musa, and Miralem Halilovic. Nurkic added 10 rebounds to record a double-double.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jusuf Nurkic 14 (2/7 2PT, 2/6 3PT, 4/4 FT, 10 REB, 4 BLK), Dzanan Musa 14 (3/5 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 5/6 FT, 6 TO), Miralem Halilovic 14 (7/10 2PT, 5 REB), John Roberson 13 (2/6 2PT, 3/8 3PT), Edin Atic 10 (0/5 3PT, 4/4 FT, 5 AST).

France: Guerschon Yabusele 15 (6/13 2PT, 5 REB), Evan Fournier 14 (3/5 2PT, 2/9 3PT), Thomas Heurtel 14 (2/7 2PT, 7 REB, 8 AST), Rudy Gobert 11 (5/10 2PT, 12 REB).

Thomas Heurtel's highlights:

Full game highlights:

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