France reserves take care of Iran, remain undefeated in the Olympics / News - Basketnews.com

France (3-0) remained undefeated with a win against Iran (0-3) 79-62 (22-17, 24-10, 16-20, 17-15) to finish their Olympic basketball group competition. France bench outscored the opponents 46-11, allowing Vincent Collet to rest his main players before a knockout competition.

Player of the Game EFF 18 Nando De Colo Points 10 Accuracy 4-4 Rebounds 5 Assists 5

France, heavy favorites after defeating the USA and the Czech Republic, started the game strong and never trailed. Iran managed to stay close for most of the opening quarter, as the score was only 15-18 after a 3-pointer by Haddadi with 1:29.

However, France opened the second period with a 20-4 run and took care of their business for good. The first half ended with a comfortable double-digit lead (46-27).

The second half played out similarly, with Iran's deficit hovering around 20 points. The Asian team managed to put together a little 4-0 run, which helped them win the third quarter and cut the deficit to 15 after three (47-62).

Haddadi started the final quarter with a 2-pointer, which made the score even closer, but that was all Iran could do. France went on an 11-5 run and finished the game unscathed.

No French starter played more than 19 minutes. Still 'Les Bleus' outrebounded their opponents (42-31), made more assists (24-17), and shot the ball better (49.2% to34.4%)

France: Thomas Heurtel 16, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 12, Nando De Colo 10, Vincent Poirier 10.

Iran: Hamed Haddadi 18 (12 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK), Arsalan Kazemi 11, Behnam Yakhchalidehkordi 11.

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