Splendid Labeyrie and Cordinier duo carries France past Montenegro / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

France (1-0) prevailed Montenegro (0-1) 73-67 (13-22, 25-16, 11-18, 24-11) in a tough Group E fight of the FIBA World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.

Player of the Game EFF Points Accuracy 0-0 Rebounds Assists

At the end of the first quarter, Montenegro had a 9-point lead (22-13), though, France came back in the second and tied the game at 38 before halftime.

Montenegro led by Justin Cobbs and Vladimir Mihailovic went on a 9-0 run to gain a double-digit advantage (56-46) late in the third. Nevertheless, France did not raise the white flag and gradually erased the deficit.

They broke the game to their side at the second half of the last quarter, organizing a game-deciding 13-1 spurt (73-64). Isaia Cordinier and Louis Labeyrie contributed with the important baskets and the team went from minus three to plus nine.

For the winners, Louis Labeyrie was a top scorer with 18 points (6/7 2PT, 1/3 3PT, 3/4 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 block, and 20 PIR.

Isaia Cordinier added 16 points (6/10 2PT, 1/4 3PT, 1/1 FT), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, and 20 PIR.

Vladimir Mihailovic was very effective for Montenegro, accumulating 23 points (4/7 2PT, 5/7 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 4 steals, and 25 PIR.

France: Louis Labeyrie 18 (5 REB), Isaia Cordinier 16 (8 REB, 4 AST), Nicolas Lang 12, Mouhammadou Jaiteh 10 (4 REB).

Montenegro: Vladimir Mihailovic 23 (4 REB), Justin Cobbs 16 (7 AST, 4 TO), Dino Radoncic 11 (5 REB).

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