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France Says It Has ‘Nothing to Lose’ Against Team USA in World Cup Final
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- France Says It Has ‘Nothing to Lose’ Against Team USA in World Cup Final
(FIBA)
France will play the United States for a FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup title on Sunday, two years and one month after losing to the Americans 67-66 in the Olympic gold medal game in Paris.
Janelle Salaün had 14 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 86-64 semifinal win over host Germany . Her plus-23 was the best mark in the game.
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"That was two years ago," Salaün said of the Olympics. "There were different people involved, different players, so now we're focusing on tomorrow and the here and now."
Marine Johannès scored 6 of France's last 12 points against Germany on perfect shooting, part of a run that closed the game out.
"If I'm (being) honest we have nothing to lose," Johannès said. "We actually know they are a great team. They won every World Cup for years and years. We are playing with these players all season in W(NBA) actually. We know how good they are. It's one game, nothing to lose. We are going to play hard and we'll see what happens."
France Brings WNBA Talent Into World Cup Final
Eight players on the French roster are active WNBA players. Johannès and Pauline Astier are teammates with the New York Liberty . Gabby Williams and Salaün play together for the Golden State Valkyries .
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France is unbeaten in Berlin and has won its five games by a combined 178 points. Through the quarterfinals the team averaged 98.8 points and shot 45.7% from 3-point range. A 111-56 win over Nigeria produced 22 3-pointers, a World Cup single-game record. Saturday was the first time in the tournament that France did not reach 90.
France has not won a World Cup medal since the inaugural tournament in 1953, when it finished third in the final round. Saturday was also the country's first semifinal since the round was introduced in 1986. France coach Jean-Aimé Toupane said afterward that French basketball is improving around the world and that it was the first time the program had taken things to this level.
Gabby Williams scored 19 points in the Paris final and got a shot off at the buzzer with her foot on the 3-point line. She had 22 against Germany on Saturday.
Team USA Chases Fifth Straight World Cup Title
The United States is 35-0 at the World Cup since a semifinal loss to Russia in 2006. A fifth consecutive title on Sunday would tie the Soviet Union's run of five from 1959 through 1975. It would also be a 12th championship overall. The program has lost one game at a World Cup or Olympics since 1994.
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A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are not with the Americans in Berlin, who beat Spain 76-66 in Saturday's second semifinal after routing Hungary in the quarterfinals .
France Has Rolled Through World Cup Schedule
France opened the tournament on Sept. 4 with a 99-53 win over Hungary and beat South Korea the following day. Nigeria went down 111-56 on Sept. 7 in the game that produced the record 22 3-pointers. The quarterfinal against China finished 90-61 on Sept. 10, with Johannès and Salaün scoring 15 apiece and Leïla Lacan adding 12. Two days later came Germany.
Tip-off in the final is set for 2 p.m. ET at Berlin Arena. Germany and Spain play for bronze at 10:30 a.m. ET.
