France bag quarterfinals ticket in Tokyo 2020 men's basketball
Fournier’s 21 points help France beat Czech Republic 97-77 in Group A match
Players of France celebrate after the Group A basketball match between USA and France within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on July 25, 2021. ( Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu - Anadolu Agency )
ANKARA
The French men's basketball team advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals after a 97-77 win against Czech Republic on Wednesday.
Boston Celtics shooting guard Evan Fournier led France with 21 points against the Czechs at Saitama Super Arena.
Fenerbahce Beko playmaker guard Nando De Colo piled up 17 points and produced 8 assists to contribute to France’s victory.
Vincent Poirier also added 14 points for France.
Playing in the center position, Jan Vesely – a Fenerbahce Beko regular – was Czech Republic's highest scorer with 19 points, while Ondrej Balvin scored 18 points.
Czech star Tomas Satoransky, who is a Chicago Bulls guard, made double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.
France, the Group A leaders, will face underdogs Iran on July 31 to conclude the group phase.
France previously defeated US 83-76 in their Olympic basketball opener on Sunday, a shocking loss for US.
Iran bottomed the Group A after losing two games in Tokyo 2020.
Czech Republic are currently in the third spot, having 1-1 win/loss record.
They will face the US in the final fixture in this group.
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