Already qualified for the quarter-finals, Les Bleues suffered again to win Sunday against Slovenia and conclude their group stage with three wins in three matches (73-68). The interior game of Sandrine Gruda (10 points) and the exterior success of Sarah Michel (14 points, 3 out of 5 three-pointers, 5 assists) allowed the players of Jean-Aimé Toupane to overthrow a badly embarked game (41-49 , 23rd). The back of Bourges notably launched a decisive 13-2 at the end of the third quarter.
But France still struggled against the zone defense, like a 10-0 conceded at the start of the match (from 9-2 to 9-12, 6th). In difficulty since the start of the Euro, Marine Fauthoux did not really reassure (6 points, 2 out of 7 in shooting). Worse, the Blue lost the other standard bearer of the 2001 generation. On a counter-attack, Iliana Rupert injured her right shoulder while trying to make contact with her Slovenian opponent. The interior of Virtus Bologna did not resume play and was taken to hospital.
Les Bleues will play their quarter-final on Thursday. They will face the winner of the play-off between Italy and the second in group A which will be known on Sunday evening. If they win, they could find Belgium or Serbia for a clash in the semi-finals.