The bronze medal at the Euro in June is now in the rearview mirror and the Blues are well underway on their way to the 2025 edition. Against Latvia, Thursday evening in Poitiers, Jean-Aimé Toupane’s players signed a comfortable success to take the lead in their qualifying group (71-49). They will go to Dublin on Sunday to challenge Ireland (6 p.m.) at the end of this international window.
Without several executives – Gruda, Johannes, Williams, Ayayi… – the French team relied on Marine Fauthoux to quickly make up the difference. The leader of Asvel (9 points, 4 assists) navigated as she pleased in the Latvian defense, either to conclude herself or to serve her friend from the 2001 generation Iliana Rupert. The inside of Virtus Bologna (13 points) transformed one of her blind passes into a winning basket (16-3, 5th).
First capes for three Blues
Applied in attack, the Blues gradually increased the gap, until a long-distance shot from Migna Touré before half-time (37-21, 18th). Lack of skill, Latvia of Anete Steinberga (4 points, 2 of 6 shooting) – the interior of Bourges – remained largely harmless. Enough to allow Jean-Aimé Toupane to offer playing time to his new faces.
Maïa Hirsch (4 points, 3 steals) inside, Kadidatou Sissoko (1 rebound, 1 missed shot) and finally Lou Lopez-Sénéchal (3 points) each celebrated their first cap. The only downside was the limping exit of Marie-Paule Fopossi at the end of the match. The Tarbes winger had a good game so far (11 points, 2 rebounds), third best French scorer behind Rupert and Janelle Salaün (15 points).
32 %
Latvia had a very difficult evening in attack with a low 32% shooting success rate. The Baltic triggers were broken behind the arc (5 of 19, 26%) and lost 28 balls!
The Blues were already without their teammates in the Pyrenees Carla Leite (ankle) and Dominique Malonga (thigh), unavailable for Sunday’s meeting in Ireland.
2023-11-09 21:51:12
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