"It's surprising that a favorite like this is struggling so much in Korea." France suffers its highest-ever first-quarter points allowed... even the coach was stunned. "A 26-point margin doesn't explain how close the game was."

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Although the Korea Yeo Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team lost to strong favorite France, its fierce performance in the early stages of the game left a powerful impression on the world stage.

On the 6th (Korean time), Korea played against France in the group stage of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup held at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany, and lost 69-95.

Looking only at the final score, it was a decisive 26-point defeat. However, the early game content was completely different.

From the first quarter, Korea aggressively pushed back against France, the favorite and "Europe's strongest." France ranks second in the FIBA world rankings after the United States and won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making it a global powerhouse.

However, Korea was not intimidated at all. With quick passes and active movement, they shook up France's defense and repeatedly hit bold three-pointers. The flow of the game left France flustered.

Korea ultimately ended the first quarter leading by 7 points, 31-24.

In particular, the 31st points scored in the first quarter held special significance. It was the most points ever allowed by France in a single first quarter at the Women's Basketball World Cup.

FIBA also highlighted this record separately. FIBA stated, "Korea came out firing from the start and scored 31 points in the first quarter," adding, "This is the highest number of points France has ever allowed in a first quarter at the World Cup."

Even the French coaching staff expressed surprise at Korea's performance. The French sports outlet L'Équipe evaluated that "the final 26-point margin does not accurately reflect the intense flow of the early game."

It further reported, "France struggled from the start with Korea's unique mobility and somewhat unfamiliar organized basketball," noting, "Korea demonstrated impressive ability to shoot quickly and successfully even from long distances."

While explaining that "France tried to regain control of the game tempo," it added, "Korea's counterattacks were fierce."

Indeed, Korea's unique organized style was fully reflected in the actual statistics.

Of the 25th field goals Korea made that day, an impressive 24 were assisted. In effect, most of their points came through plays involving teammates. They also shot 12 out of 31 three-pointers, achieving a high success rate of 38.7%.

In particular, Heo Ye-eun lit up the game from outside. She made 4 of her 5 three-point attempts, recording 12 points and 5 assists. In just the first quarter alone, she hit 3 three-pointers, leading Korea's early surge. Lee Hae-ran (Samsung Life) also scored 12 points, and Lee So-hee (BNK) added 10 points. Kang Yi-seul (Woori Bank) recorded 8 points.

However, France's strength was no small matter. After regrouping following the first quarter, France significantly increased its defensive intensity. Although Korea scored 31 points in the first quarter alone, they were held to just 6 points in the second quarter. France took a 43-37 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the gap widened further. France poured in 33 points in the third quarter alone, while Korea managed only 15. Ultimately, the momentum of the game shifted sharply toward France.

For France, Marine Johannes led the team with 17 points, including 4 three-pointers. She boosted the atmosphere by making a long-range three-pointer near half-court. Dominique Malonga also protected the paint with 14 points and 5 rebounds, including a dunk.

With this victory, France secured back-to-back wins in the group stage, effectively confirming their advancement to the quarterfinals. In their first match, they had decisively defeated Hungary 99-53.

Korea finished with one win and one loss. After starting the tournament on a high note by defeating "Africa's powerhouse" Nigeria 99-81 in their first game, Korea maintained its position near the top of Group B following the match against France. Hungary also has one win and one loss, while Nigeria is winless with two losses.

A total of 16 countries are participating in this tournament, divided into four groups for the group stage. The top team from each group advances directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-place teams compete in a play-in match, with the winner joining the quarterfinals.

Korea aims to reach the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball World Cup for the first time since 2010, 16 years later. In their final group stage match, they will face Hungary.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original