The French women’s basketball team launched its Euro-2025 qualifying campaign and its international season which will take it to the Paris Olympics with a large victory against Latvia (71-49), Wednesday at Futuroscope in Poitiers. .
The Blues, diligent for 40 minutes, took care of the difference in points against their most serious competitor in group E, the first of which will be directly qualified for the Euro (like four of the best runners-up in all groups combined).
They will aim for confirmation on Sunday in Dublin against Ireland, a match which they should easily win if they display the same seriousness as in the brand new Arena Futuroscope.
Deprived of several executives, injured or at rest (Gruda, Vukosavljevic, Chéry ex-Chartereau, Williams and Johannès), the team coached by Jean-Aimé Toupane, who remains on a frustrating bronze medal at Euro-2025, has demonstrated his bench depth.
Janelle Salaün (15 pts and 4 interceptions), Marine Fauthoux (9 pts and 4 assists in 20 minutes) and Iliana Rupert (13 pts) donned the costume of bosses and the Blue offered a defense which offered them numerous balls of transition (25 pts scored on opposing loose balls) and stifled the Latvians in the first quarter (23-11).
The match was definitively resolved at the end of the third quarter after a winning shot from Rupert, impeccable from long distance (3/3), giving the Bleues a 26-length lead (55-29, 27th).
Salaün (22 years old, 15 selections), who can play winger and inside, scored points with a view to the Olympics, while Marie-Paul Foppossi shone in the last quarter (11 pts) before leaving due to injury , hit in an ankle.
Maïa Hirsch (19 years old), Lou Lopez Sénéchal (25 years old) and Kadiatou Sissoko (24 years old) honored their first selection.